Amy, not her real name, joined the Sustainable and Transformative Employment Pathways (STEP) Project last year.

She said she knew she had been stripped of self-worth through her experience of trauma and needed to be confident enough to sell herself for jobs.

"The biggest thing (I worked on with my job coach) was really letting me see that I was underselling myself, and that I had a lot of skills but you couldn't see that in my CV and I wasn't owning it," she said.

"We did a lot of work on that...we had a look pragmatically at my skill set, which in turn got me out of that small space I was putting myself into (applying for junior roles)."

Amy said she had gained friends from the program and it helped her get out of the cycle of trauma.

"Overall, I feel more connected and less isolated which is very helpful," she said.

Applications are open now for the second pilot of WIRE's STEP project, for women, non-binary and gender diverse people across Victoria, including in Ballarat.

Weekly group workshops will run online from October 11 until June next year, providing tools to search for employment, navigating a new workplace and achieving financial goals.

A job-coach will provide one-on-one support and tailored advice and participants share their journeys with other victim-survivors.

The program was designed by survivors of family violence and HR professionals.

RELATED COVERAGE: How employment is providing a pathway out of family violence and homelessness

STEP project lead Elyse McInerney said the pilot project was started last year after WIRE staff frequently heard about the unique challenges for people looking for work after family violence through the helpline.

"Some were becoming a single parent for the first time and there are ongoing challenges like legal and psychology appointments," she said.

"It is not just about learning how to write CVs, there is a lot of healing work that has to provide that foundation.

"Experiences of family violence can break down a person's self-esteem and disassociate them from what they are good at and what they can offer.

"We support them to tell that story to themselves before they put it into a resume format."

About 99 per cent of cases of family violence involve financial abuse, which can include women being prevented from going to work, or being forced to sign onto loans and inheriting debt.

"There are a lot of challenges associated with recovering from that financial abuse, which is why employment is such an important step because it gives people a sustainable income," Ms McInerney said.

Past program participant Camille, not her real name, had worked as a pastry chef but was looking to transfer to a new career after an injury meant she could not work as a chef anymore.

She began a new role teaching aspiring pastry chefs at TAFE in May after completing the STEP program.

"I'm more confident going for a job, it doesn't matter about my history or what's happening in my family," she said.

All eleven women who finished the first pilot of the program in May have found employment.

"We saw huge amounts of change," Ms McInerney said.

"What really struck me was not just that everyone was able to find work, it was the real shift in confidence and in they way they spoke about themselves and supported each other.

"It is not necessarily about having the perfect job, it is about taking that next step forward and getting your foot in the door. That has given a lot of people hope.

"It has been amazing to see people go from thinking they are not worthy of work or they will not be able to get the job they want to suddenly feeling like they are moving forward and are not going to go backwards again."

STEP is implemented by WIRE as a partner under the CommBank Next Chapter program, which seeks to address financial abuse.

For more information and to apply for the program, email STEP@wire.org.au.

WIRE provides free support, referrals and information on any issue for all Victoria women, non-binary and gender diverse people. Call 1300 134 130 or email support@wire.org.au.

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