CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

“First of all I just want to say a big thank you to Peter and Danny for their group B.R.A.V.E. for how much it has changed my partner. At first I was saying ‘nothing can change you’ but I was wrong – it has changed him. He appreciates me more and talks more. He always used to put the blame on me for his mistakes and make excuses for an argument. I’d had enough and I was ready to walk if he didn’t get help. That’s when he heard of B.R.A.V.E. and he told me he was going to change. It is nice to know there are people like B.R.A.V.E. out there that don’t judge people and are willing to help people from different backgrounds. It has changed our lives forever and I’m very grateful to B.R.A.V.E. for changing our lives and future and I would recommend them to people going through similar problems. It has also helped me by working through my partner’s homework together. I am very grateful for this. Thank you.”

Wife of BRAVE Client

“B.R.A.V.E. has helped me more than words can say and I do hope it helps other people in the same way. The counsellors are top notch. They understand and listen to what you have gone through and help you in so many ways. I am so glad I came here.”

“I came to B.R.A.V.E. to help me resolve my emotional turmoil and help me with my anger. I would say I have now achieved emotional maturity by coming here.”

“Coming to B.R.A.V.E. has saved my life – I know I can be a better father to my kids than mine was to me – it helps to know I’m not on my own.”
“Since I have been attending the program I have started to understand my anger and what circumstances trigger it. This has helped me to stay in control of my temper more than I used to be able to, and although I still might fly into a rage from time to time, it seems to be in a more controlled manner. The group has enabled me to be open, honest, accountable and accepted by all who attend and it is really nice to not be judged for my actions.”

“When I first started coming to BRAVE, I didn’t think that I needed to come. My marriage was at breaking point and I was ready to run away. My wife went to Relate alone, and I was advised to seek help with my anger and controlling behaviour. At first I couldn’t see this, but after a while I began to see that I was not treating my wife fairly. Although I had never hit her or anything, I was still abusing her and controlling her. My wife says that I have changed a lot and our marriage is now going in the right direction.”

“The group is the only place I can talk. I feel very isolated. The problem with talking to my wife is that it often leads to an argument. I need somewhere to let off steam and think things through calmly. The group does that for me.”
“I come now for a ‘top up’ - when things are looking like to could get bad again. Before it gets to that, I’ll come back and see the lads. Then I see things differently – feel different.”
“I’ve needed this kind of help for years – if only I had come sooner.”

PROFESSIONAL ENDORSEMENTS

“B.R.A.V.E. is an invaluable project, unafraid to tackle the sensitive issue of male violence head on. B.R.A.V.E. tackles stigma and taboo by opening them up to discussion and breaking down barriers which help perpetuate violent behaviours. In doing so B.R.A.V.E. helps men understand and control their anger / rage. By supporting men to stop their violent behaviours B.R.A.V.E.’s work not only impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of its immediate client group, it also helps protect partners and family members, promoting a safe home life where violent behaviour is unacceptable. In fostering this approach B.R.A.V.E. is not only an investment in the men who attend group meetings but also their families and generations to come.”

Professor Alan White of Leeds Metropolitan University (the world’s first professor of men’s health) who has a longstanding interest in BRAVE.

"I have been involved with the Brave project over many years. The work they provide to individuals and their communities is invaluable. Obviously support and care for women who have been subjected to domestic abuse is vitally important and at least we have now a nation wide network of organisations that fulfil some of this need. But I've never understood why we as a society have not been at pains to provide the necessary interventions for the damaged and damaging men at the heart of this problem. It's a total travesty that projects such as Brave are thin on the ground, every community should have somewhere to refer these men but typically there is nowhere for them to go to get the help that, at least those who recognise they have a problem, will benefit so much from. These times of brutal economic realities will inevitably lead to increases in interpersonal violence; it is precisely at such times as these when the existence of such projects is threatened that they are most needed"

Eli Godsi, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, author of “Violence and Society: Making Sense of Madness and Badness” and external clinical advisor to B.R.A.VE:

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

PROFESSIONAL ENDORSEMENTS

"If you kick a stone in anger, you'll hurt your own foot." - Korean Proverb