Education and Support Groups for Women

Group 1: Recovering from Patriarchy (the rule of men)

Helga Edwards MSW facilitates education and peer-support groups for women who have been oppressed by patriarchy. Patriarchy is a hierarchical system in which men hold power, and women are largely excluded from it.

If you are a woman who has not had an equal voice at home or at church,

if you have been told you must obey men at home or at church,

if you have not been able to express your gifts at church because you are a woman, this group may be helpful to you.

Some topics include: how the Bible respects women in its original languages and contexts, recovering from shame messages, coping with grief, setting healthy boundaries, managing triggers, rebuilding self-esteem, what healthy egalitarian relationships look like, stress-management, healthy self-care, etc.

These are support groups (education and peer support); they are not psychotherapy.

Helga Edwards has Bachelors' degrees in Religious Education and Social Development Studies, as well as her Master's Degree in Social Work. In 2013, she received the Delta Epsilon Chi Award for Intellectual Achievement, Christian Character and Leadership Ability, from the Association for Biblical Higher Education. For 20 years, she worked as a Therapist in community counselling, hospital, and church settings.

Please feel free to use the "Contact" tab if you have any questions, or would like to attend the next group. Start dates and group meeting times are announced, once information about people's availability becomes known.

Group 2: Recovering from Intimate Partner Abuse

Helga Edwards MSW facilitates education and support groups for:

-women who have experienced intimate partner abuse
-women who are supporting those who have experienced abuse

Intimate partner abuse can be: physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, verbal, spiritual, or financial.

Some topics include: signs of an abusive relationship, understanding the cycle of abuse, coping with grief, recovering from shame messages, rebuilding self-esteem, managing stress, identifying how abusers commonly misuse Bible passages on the topics of “headship, submission, forgiveness and divorce,” what healthy egalitarian relationships look like, helping children who have witnessed domestic violence, etc.

These are support groups (education and peer support); they are not psychotherapy.