Hear how Amal has impacted the lives of these women…
“In HER Words…”
SARAH:
I first consulted AMAL when conflicts and arguments between my husband and I reached new unbearable heights. My husband and I went through many stressful experiences, from his loss of employment to illness in our family. Experiences such as these put a great strain on our family and our relationship and seemed to have created a gap between us that we were unable to mend. Our relationship grew more conflictual. We did not know how to break this negative cycle. We even considered separation at some point; we could not seem to see a future with each other. However, with AMAL’s help and guidance, we have recreated our bond and are once again close.
How did AMAL help?
Sarah and her husband decided to use AMAL’s counselling service. Through the counselling sessions, they looked into new and helpful techniques to mend the broken bond between the two spouses. With the help of AMAL’s social worker, Sarah discovered new and helpful ways for the spouses to interact and engage with each other, ultimately increasing quality time together. Sarah and her counselor were also able to go deeper and look at the emotional roots of her relationship’s issues.
FATIMA:
Following my divorce, I decided that I needed a fresh new start. As such, I decided to immigrate to Montreal and start anew. Upon arriving however, I began to suffer from panic attacks, some of them paralyzing. The anxiety was consuming. I needed help and I knew it. With AMAL by my side, I started to have better control over my anxiety. I started making friends and building a life for myself here. My quality of life has greatly improved and Montreal finally started to feel like a city where I can make a home for myself.
How did AMAL help?
Through counselling with AMAL’s social worker, Fatima learned how to recognize and manage triggers in order to stop her panic attacks. They also delved deeper into her personal life to gain a better understanding of issues that may activate these attacks. AMAL provided tools that eventually helped Fatima to build and expand her social network. She also met people she could talk to and who understood what she was going through.
LAYLA:
For a while now, my daughter and I seemed to be at each other’s throats. Shadya, my daughter, seemed out of control, and I did not know how to get her to listen to me or get my messages across. The atmosphere at home was tense and I did not know what to do about it. With AMAL helping both Shadya and me, Shadya’s behavior greatly improved and our joint effort had a positive impact on our relationship.
How did AMAL help?
We discovered through individual therapy sessions that the root of Shadya’s behavior was a simple case of miscommunication between mother and daughter. From that point on, the use of family therapy was all that was needed to help Shadya and her mother understand each other’s perspective and listen to the other’s points of view.
JASMINE:
I have been married for many years and for years, I have tried taking my children and leaving the violent environment my husband had created. However, there were many setbacks and questions and I did not know how to get the help I needed. I did not know what my rights were? How could I ensure I would get sole child custody to prevent my children from staying in a perilous situation? Would I be able to take adequate care of our family? I did want what was best for them. Could I possibly support all the expenses on one wage and give them the emotional support they needed?
After I started counselling sessions at AMAL, I decided that leaving my husband was the only option left for our well-being. AMAL provided me with both legal and emotional support, throughout the whole process. Now, I have taken back control of my life. I feel empowered so I decided to go back to school and take charge of raising my two beautiful and healthy children.
How did AMAL help?
There are many ways in which AMAL helped. With the help of the counsellor, Jasmine regained the self-confidence needed to determine what was best for her and her children. AMAL also helped in giving Jasmine a hand in providing a strong support network. Finally, AMAL also provided her with the legal help required to take action and proceed with the divorce.