While Theresa was able to tell her story for the first time, she also learned much about writing and the process of writing. From a purely academic perspective, it was probably the most useful writing assignment she has ever done. We needed to discuss every aspect of writing from punctuation to readability. The writing that she did in her class assignments improved as a result of this in-depth story that meant so much to her.

A profile: Heather

Heather had a great deal of difficulty dealing with any problem that arose in her life. Her response to any situation that made her feel uncomfortable was violent outbursts and complete withdrawal or extremely child-like behaviour. She regularly responded inappropriately in the classroom. For example, if I asked a learner to come to my office she would yell out statements such as, "Uh, oh, somebody's in trouble," or "You're gunna get it now. You must have done something'. You're gunna get it." Even when I spoke to her about saying things that were out of place, she couldn't seem to stop. She would respond with tears and threats to quit the program. This would be followed by a few days of absence and then I would receive a phone call asking if she could come back to class. No matter what I tried I couldn't seem to alter her behaviour.

Involvement in the CCLOW project has accomplished what I could not. The change came about abruptly. She had always denied that she had been abused, but working with other women who openly admitted it allowed her to admit it also.

On one occasion I had to ask her to come to the office so we could have a chat. There were no inappropriate outbursts, no tears, or threats to quit. Instead she admitted that she needed to change and that if I helped her she felt that a change could come about. On many occasions I have noticed a tremendous growth in Heather. She is much more an adult in many ways. She can take criticism, she acknowledges her faults and weaknesses, she rarely responds inappropriately, and she never threatens to quit school.

A profile: Jan

Jan has always blamed herself for all that has happened to her. She desperately wants to be a member of a family and her own family, especially her mother, has turned away from her. She found this impossible to accept. It had to be a result of something that she had done. When we discussed anything that centred around the family there was a good chance that she would burst into tears. Christmas time was extremely hard for her. She hated it and would become resentful when the rest of the class wanted to celebrate together. She usually enjoyed herself when she participated, but then would become very sad because she couldn't share the same experience with her family.