If you are a victim or aggressor who wants help, but you are afraid of the consequences of speaking up-

Then FAMILY LIFELINE IS for YOU.

Though the criminal justice system may assign the role of “victim” to some, and “offender” to others, family abuse isn’t always so easy to discern.

There are certainly cases when there is a clear or consistent primary aggressor and a “perfect”, innocent victim.

However, many families fear what may happen if they open the curtains and let the world look inside their home. Often “victims” aren’t perfect, but this does not mean that they aren’t worthy of help. Similarly, there are aggressors that love their families or partners dearly, and want desperately to change.

There may be a long history of maltreatment between several of your family members. Perhaps you are a victim that has been arrested in the past. You or someone you love may struggle with substance use or mental health issues which make it difficult to communicate with authorities. Your family might fear law enforcement for any number of other reasons. These (and a long list of additional, peripheral challenges) can make it extremely difficult to ask for help, or to fight battles in a courtroom.

The truth is, when many family members “do the math”, they determine that the cost of asking for help seem to outweigh the consequences of staying in a dangerous home… but Family Lifeline is here to tip the scales.

We are here to serve the underserved. We formed this organization specifically for you, and for the thousands of other East Tennesseans who have been forced to hide in plain sight, largely because it felt like the system was never built with you or your family in mind.

Maybe you still love your abuser. Maybe you are the abuser. Maybe you are worried about how speaking up will impact someone other than yourself.

The power dynamics in relationships can be such, that one person’s method of abusing the other is “non-violent”, and essentially “legal”. Or it could be, that one person may have access to attorneys that can sway the rulings of the courts in their favor.

The reasons we remain “trapped in the cycle” are too many to list here…

Sometimes it just feels like if you ever really shared about what has been going on in your home, that once those skeletons come out, no one in your family would ever fully recover.

There is good news and bad news:

The BAD NEWS is-

The problems aren’t going to go away- Not even if the behavior somehow stopped, today!

Once certain lines are crossed, the direct abuse (or even the witnessing of it) quite literally creates physical changes in our bodies and our brains that will impact the way we think, feel, and behave for the rest of our lives.

These changes actually make it MORE likely that you and the members of your family may hurt yourselves, hurt others, or be hurt by others, more so than those who have not experienced abusive environments at home. This is not speculation- it is a biological truth, which plays out in and between families over generations. These patterns have been studied and supported by research for decades.

The GOOD NEWS is-

If you are living with unhealthy relationships in East Tennessee , there are therapists, experienced advocates, and recovering families that know our homes can become the most lonely, scary places on the planet. We don’t want you to feel this way anymore. But having gone through “the system” ourselves, we understand why you’ve been afraid to speak up!

Family Lifeline is not concerned with your criminal justice labels, and we have no interest in forcing you to do anything.

Our board and staff are made up of lifelong Knoxville residents. We are your friends and neighbors. We are recovering survivors, offenders, and professionals who have created this organization because we want to offer you a better space to heal.

If you’ve been (or you are still being) victimized, whether or not you choose to involve the police department or the criminal justice system is up to you. (We will help you navigate through that process if you wish.) If you choose not to use any government assistance, we understand and respect your concerns!

Family Lifeline is specifically designed to help families and individuals of every variety who want to prioritize breaking the cycle of abuse, and pursuing personal recovery from abuse-related trauma.

Family Lifeline seeks to exist as a beacon of community-initiated hope. This means that we will help you to identify core issues, work to restore your sense of personal value and stability, and assist you in finding internal and external resources that you may begin a new, sustainable journey to peace, security, and happiness.

It is ok if you choose to stay. It is ok if you want to leave.

If you are, or have been the aggressor, we will help you to become accountable for your past- without drowning in it, or letting it shape the way you behave in the future.

Family Lifeline represents new options for families, partners, and friends who want help, without the consequences of using conventional channels.