Human services workers, including those working in behavioral health, housing and homelessness services, intimate partner violence (IPV), child welfare, probation, other first responders, and many others interact with those who experience family violence and who also struggle with substance abuse. One of the challenges of the work is to remain engaged and compassionate on the one hand, while also managing feelings of concern, disappointment, and sometimes anger, when those we work with make decisions that seem to take them back into danger.

Some of the big questions:

Why do they go back?

Don't they understand what will happen?

How can this person do this now, when things were starting to go well?

Why should I keep caring when people just make dangerous decisions?