The following checklist may help you decide if you or someone you know is being abused. Does your partner:

• constantly criticize you and your abilities as a spouse or partner, parent or employee?
• behave in an over-protective manner or become extremely jealous?
• threaten to hurt you, your children, pets, family members, friends or themselves?
• prevent you from seeing family or friends?
• get suddenly angry or "lose his temper"?
• destroy personal property or throw things around?
• deny you access to family assets like bank accounts, credit cards, or the car, or control all finances and force you to account for what you spend?
• use intimidation or manipulation to control you or your children? hit, punch, slap, kick, shove, choke or bite you?
• prevent you from going where you want to, when you want to, and with whomever you want to?
• make you have sex when you don't want to or do things sexually that you don't want to do?
• humiliate or embarrass you in front of other people?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you may be a victim of domestic violence. You are not to blame and you are not alone - millions of people are abused by their partners every year. Not all acts of domestic violence are violations of the law. In any case, you need not face domestic violence alone. You deserve help, and help is available. 
There is no one best way to try to protect yourself from future harm by your abuser. Whether you are working on a safety plan, needing information about your legal options, thinking about going to court, dealing with the police, in the middle of a legal proceeding, needing help from the local Department of Social Services (DSS), or anything else, you don't have to figure it all out on your own. In making decisions about what is likely to work best for you, it can be helpful to talk to a local domestic violence advocate. 

We are working towards that goal through:

• Sharing:
  Sharing the stories of those that have been abused. Through their Stories, all of us can learn, and it will motivate those in abusive relationships to GET OUT.
• Education:
  Heal Out Loud provides pamphlets and other educational tools to portray the impact that abuse has on our lives. By utilizing the pictures and the stories, we bring to light what can be done to help those in need, and also to show that they do not have to succumb to the violence.
• Events:
  Through a diverse and comprehensive network of organizations involved is many aspects of abuse including protections, prevention, medical care, rehabilitation and shelters, we provide forums, events, discussions and resolutions to issues that surround violence.