As a mother of two, her particular interests lie with domestic violence and child abuse and later next month, she will conduct a free workshop to share her experiences and knowledge.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
ABOUT 15 years ago Kim Kalousek realised she was not six feet tall and invincible.
“I guess I began to understand that even the strongest of us need some support from time to time,” she said.
“I decided to leave my established career as an accountant and go back to study psychology so that I could actually put something back into the community and provide others with the tools to manage life better.”
However, she was not prepared for actually developing a passion for the profession.
Kim finds the brain the most fascinating and poorly understood organ in the human body.
“What is happening to their brain is a physical thing in the same way as their kidneys or heart may not function properly,”‘ she said.
“It is odd how as humans we are generally more accepting of treatment for these other health issues but when it comes to brain health we baulk at therapy, whether it is counselling or medication.”
“If I could do one thing it would be to demystify mental health, I wish we could call it brain health, not mental health,” she asserted.
Kim’s desire to help others led her to Carrie’s Place, a refuge in Maitland where she works with the women and children who have experienced domestic violence.
“The work I do at the refuge is extremely rewarding but draining at times.”
She said domestic violence is the fastest growing crime in the state and that 85 per cent of this abuse is against females.
Unfortunately her work at the refuge has alerted Kim to the fact that one in four girls and one in seven boys are sexually assaulted.
“What is more alarming is that research indicates 85 per cent of this abuse is perpetrated by a family member, a very close friend or a person in a position of trust such as an educator or coach.
“If you add in the others who are physically and emotionally abused, the figures are alarming,” she said.
As a mother of two children she finds this distressing and has taken up the challenge of reducing these figures.
Kim in conjunction with Carrie’s Place has developed the workshop “Identifying and Responding to Child Abuse” as early intervention and education is the key to reducing the growing rate of abuse.
“Complacency is no longer an excuse as a community we need to be proactive in making ourselves aware of how to protect children.
“I see generations of people who have been abused come through the refuge doors – it’s heartbreaking that these people don’t know any different,” she said.
She will be presenting the free workshop at the Singleton Youth Venue on August, 13 at 6pm.
During the workshop Kim will look at healthy child development and how abuse disrupts a child’s normal developmental progress.
Warning signs at different age groups will be discussed as well as how to correctly respond to suspected abuse and claims of abuse.
She added: “Given the statistics, every one of us in the community knows an abused child. This is a frightening thought. Whether we pick up on it can be a matter of education and taking time to make the topic a priority in our homes and schools.”
A free workshop aims to raise awareness around the warning signs of child abuse and
how to respond to these children.
This session will be held at Singleton Youth Venue on August 13 from 6:15pm to 7:30pm.
