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Mending Broken Hearts Response from a Police Officer1. What are Claire’s greatest needs at this time in her life? At this point her greatest needs are safety and security; she is clearly in an abusive relationship. The abuse seems to be escalating and both she and her children are now endangered by George’s violent behavior. Claire also needs to make some hard decisions to determine if this relationship can be salvaged or if living apart would be better. She needs to do this as a decision for both for her and her children. Only she can make this decision. 2. How did Pastor Steve begin to win Claire’s confidence? Pastor Steve in effect threw her a life rope that would help her keep afloat even if she did not pull herself out of the water with it. He gave her someone to talk to and gave her options that she may not have considered without him. He also gave her a place to stay. She now had somewhere she could go if things got too bad. He offered her this help without insisting that she take it which left her feeling like she still had control over her life. He also followed up with her by checking on her in her home - a place where she felt she at least had some control. 3. What might a local congregation offer to a woman in Claire’s situation? Support - be it financial, emotional, or a safe haven. I doubt that Claire is ready for everyone to know about her situation at this time, but when and if she does get to the point of leaving she could use the congregation’s help getting her life back to normal. 4. How would you assess Steve’s intervention with the Brown family? Would you have responded in a different or similar way? Steve offered what help that he could without insisting on a course of action that was not Claire’s. He also exposed himself to the dangerous situation by letting Claire and her children stay with him and by dropping into her home. Steve risked having George turn his anger onto him either physically or by starting a controversy about Steve’s inappropriate behavior with his wife. I believe that he responded in a responsible manner, but think that he should have done things to assure that all of his meetings were documented and even witnessed by a third party who could verify that all of his actions were above board. This would help even if Claire was unaware that anyone else knew. 5. What would you see as the next step in pastoral care? Education. Claire is in some form of denial thinking that she is somehow responsible for George’s actions. Steve could provide her with some information about abusers and their behavior as well as victims of abuse who believe that they somehow share in the blame. This is probably a learned behavior for her since it is probably the same situation when she grew up with an alcoholic father. It probably seems normal to her. She needs to see that this is not the way that everyone lives, and that she does not have to continue to live this way unless she wants. Sgt. Carl Boger Response from a Police OfficerPastor Steve acted in a manner that showed great care and concern for Claire and her boys during one of his pastoral visits when George was found in a bad state. Pastor Steve risked his own safety during this process to get Claire and her boys away from the threat and provide for them a temporary shield. Pastor Steve may have further served Claire by encouraging her to talk with a Police Officer if there had been physical signs of abuse to her and/or the children. Pastor Steve’s intervention was timely and may have furthered the efforts to bring Claire’s husband George into accountability by exposing and confronting his abusive behavior. Vince Riley |
