New website to combat dating violence among problem teens

By Staff Writer

Advocacy groups Break the Cycle and the National Dating Abuse Helpline have joined forces to create an online community for teens and young adults. The website loveisrespect.org aims to prevent and end abusive relationships.

The online destination is geared toward individuals between the ages 12 and 24, providing information on healthy relationship behaviors as well as recommendations and support services for teens who are in abusive situations.

Break the Cycle is a national leader in addressing dating violence with more than 15 years of providing training, education, advocacy and activism. The National Dating Abuse Helpline, which is a project of the National Council on Family Violence, is the only peer-to-peer online chat in the U.S. where trained professionals give advice to other teens and young adults.

The organizations recently revealed that one in every three adolescents will experience abuse in a dating relationship, and more than 67 percent of those individuals will never report it to another person.

Children who are in abusive relationships may benefit from wilderness therapy programs, many of which are designed to help teens recover from troubling physical and emotional experiences.