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GREENSBORO — They kick off their shoes. They give each other a hug. They have a cup of tea.

Sometimes, when it’s been a particularly rough day, they cry together.

“We all get stressed. We all get mad,” said Denise Little, one of the founders of Tea Talk Thursday. “This is a place to vent.”

Domestic violence survivors, family and friends gathered Sunday afternoon to celebrate the anniversary of the support group for adults, which was formed a year ago under the awareness organization Spouses Against Crack Cocaine Abuse and Domestic Violence.

“We tell them to take off your mask and be who you are,” said Cynthia Hunter, one of the Tea Talk Thursday founders.

The support group is free and open to anyone, although Hunter has personal experience dealing with domestic violence.

She chronicled her life with a drug-addicted and abusive spouse in her book, “Diary of a Crack Addict’s Wife.”

Hunter now works to educate people about domestic violence, including victims and abusers.

Tea Talk Thursday grew out of Hunter’s work. She founded the group with three friends.

The support group is a time for people to talk about the trials of the week and work out their stresses — and sip some tea and nibble on snacks.

“You just come and relax and let go,” Margo Boekhoudt said of the Thursday night session at the Spring Garden Counseling Center.

For George Galbreath, Tea Talk introduced him to a new family, people who support and advise him in hard times.

Galbreath, now a motivational speaker, is a former abuser who said he learned domestic violence in the womb and experienced a painful childhood. The first woman he hit was his mother, he said.

“I might go off if I didn’t have Tea Talk,” he told the people gathered at the Spring Garden Counseling Center on Sunday afternoon. “I’m under construction.”

On Sunday — in a celebration that included motivational speeches, skits, songs and cake — Mayor Yvonne Johnson declared it Spouses Against Crack Cocaine Abuse and Domestic Violence day in Greensboro.

“It certainly is an organization that lifts people, that improves our quality of life,” Johnson said. “And for that, we are grateful.”

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com.