Our Victim/Survivor Support work is rooted in the simple power of deep, compassionate, and non-judgmental listening to victims and survivors of traumatic violence, violation, and loss. We know how alone they can feel in the unrelenting aftermath of violence, loss, and post-traumatic stress, and how hard it can be for victims/survivors to feel heard — by the justice system, by society, and even by close family and friends. We can provide opportunities for these survivors to feel heard through conversation, correspondence, and occasionally advocacy. We know the power of deep listening — without judgment or expectation. And we know that, for those who need most to be heard, listening itself is the answer. This might seem very simplistic, but every survivor knows the power of feeling heard, and the deep frustration of feeling unheard.

Our most fundamental support service is simply listening to survivors’ stories.

JUST Alternatives can provide a way and a place to give voice to some of the thoughts and feelings that follow in the aftermath of violence and violation – even many, many years later. We are not mental health service providers, nor are we a legal or social services agency, but a private nonprofit finding ways of helping survivors tell their stories in order to feel heard enough to move forward again from their loss or violation.

Our most fundamental support service is in listening to survivors of severely violent and crime and violation — from survivors of loved ones lost to homicide, to survivors of sexual assault and abuse, to survivors of family and partner violence and abuse. This is not therapy, and we’re not therapists, but as listeners we provide a kind of support that can feel, in a way, therapeutic.

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of having a place to share experiences, with a listener who knows the territory of severe violence and victimization and its after-effects. If you’d like to see how we listen, and whether it might be of help to you, don’t hesitate to contact us by e-mail. Sometimes a little correspondence with a good listener is all that’s needed; sometimes, a telephone conversation is needed or wanted. And if you or someone you know needs help finding specifically appropriate services and you don’t know where to go, we may also be able to help.