24/7 Help is Available

The Dove Center provides services to adults and children who are:

  • Victims of domestic violence
  • Children who have witnessed domestic violence
  • Adults molested as children
  • Victims of rape/sexual assault
  • Victims of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse or neglect
  • Victims of stalking
  • Victims of teen dating violence
  • Adult victims of past child abuse

All victim services are free and confidential:

  • Individual counseling
  • 24/7 help-line
  • 24/7 emergency shelter
  • Periodic support groups
  • JEWELS group for women experiencing co-occurring trauma and addiction
  • Advocacy with other systems to assist with housing, financial, employment, day care, legal, medical, and other needs.
  • Accompaniment to legal, medical, and other related appointments
  • Free 911 cell phones
  • Temporary Shelter for dogs and cats, and necessary veterinary care through HART for Animals
  • COMING SOON: Transitional Housing Services

Available Services for those who are abusive:

  • Abuse Intervention Program (AIP): 26 week group education program for those who are abusive
  • 8 main themes: Non-violence, Non-threatening behavior, Respect, Support and Trust, Honesty and Accountability, Sexual Respect, Partnership, Negotiation and Fairness.
  • Fee for AIP is based on personal income and can be made in weekly payments.

Location of Services:

The Dove Center Main office is located at 882 Memorial Drive in Oakland. An outreach counseling office is located in Grantsville, and is staffed 2 days per week.

We are able to see children in all of the County schools, during the school day. We also spend at least one day per week on the campus of Garrett College. Speakers’ Bureau is available to speak to your community, civic, or professional group at any time.

What is Domestic Violence?

Repeated violence tends to follow a three-phase cycle:

Tension Building Phase: Arguments and Threats

This stage involves minor incidents (slapping, verbal and/or psychological abuse) with increasing tension and fear of the batterer. This may be the time when a victim will seek out help through law enforcement intervention only to be told nothing can be done until violence occurs.

The victim may:

  • Placate batterer by nurturing or staying out of the batterer’s way
  • Control, manipulate environment to prevent escalation of violence
  • Minimize, trivialize, deny violence
  • Cover for batterer, excuse behavior
  • Begin to withdraw emotionally from overwhelming stress
  • The victim’s inability to face the reality of situation allows the batterer to escalate the violence.

Acute Battering Phase: Beating, Choking, Punching, Use of Weapons

During this stage, a violent episode occurs usually causing injury and sometimes resulting in death. This is usually the shortest phase lasting a few minutes to 24 hours. The victim may:

  • Feel a complete loss of control
  • Feel psychologically trapped
  • Wait to seek medical treatment if s/he chooses to go at all
  • Not experience the effects of the trauma for some time
  • Not trust law enforcement, fear their involvement will further enrage batterer, defend the batterer to police

Honeymoon Phase: Period of Relative Calm

Environment becomes tranquil, maybe even pleasant. This may be the longest phase early in a relationship, but usually becomes progressively shorter over time. This calm environment may become quite brief with the tension phase beginning again almost immediately. The victim may:

  • Experience the illusion of well-being
  • Believe that s/he is the sole support of the emotional stability of the batterer
  • Believe the many promises of the batterer
  • Feel responsible for batterer’s well being

The cycle usually ends one of two ways — in the death of the victim or a separation. If there is a separation the batterer often moves on to a new victim.

What is Sexual Assault?

Sexual assault can happen to anyone, at any time. It doesn’t matter how old you are, what you look like, what you wear, or what you do.

Offenders can be strangers, but most likely they are friends, family members or acquaintances that we think we can trust.

Sexual assault is any unwanted or forced sexual act and includes:

  • Rape and attempted rape
  • Unwanted touching or groping
  • Sexual harassment
  • Unwanted showing of private parts
  • Sexual exploitation
  • Child sexual abuse
  • Incest
  • Sexually obscene communications (in person, by phone, texting, email or social networking)