How Catherine House changed a life
When we moved out there together – although I couldn’t recognise it at the time – that isolated me. It was probably a conscious thing on his part to remove me from my support network and isolate me,” she said. Eventually, the relationship ended, and Mary moved back to Adelaide to re-form her connections. But after the abusive relationship, Mary’s mental health was suffering, she was unwell and unable to sustain employment. “Soon I ran out of couches and short-term options and ended up calling Catherine House and being accepted in the program.” “At that point I had slept the last couple of nights in my car. Because of the issues I was having with my mental health, I was also feeling very vulnerable, and I hadn’t been getting much rest.” Mary describes entering Catherine House as “intimidating.”
It was a combination of factors that led Mary * to Catherine House. Born on an Air Force base in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Mary grew up in a military style home with traditional values, girls would marry and have families, and boys would support the families. “I was never raised to consider the possibility of having to support myself. I got married in my early 20s and had my daughter… I prioritised being with her over working,” said Mary. When Mary’s marriage broke down, she was in a vulnerable position. Soon, Mary met a new partner and they moved away from Adelaide to Riverland. Mary describes the relationship as “quite a toxic abusive relationship.” “I was out in the Riverland with just my partner, all my family and everyone I knew was still here in Adelaide.
*To protect the privacy of the client we have used Mary as a pseudonym.
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