In the year ending October 31, the refuge responded to 231 police referrals compared with 124 last year and 110 the year before.
The service also dealt with self-referrals and referrals from other organisations, she said.
The number of people staying in Gore Women's Refuge safe houses has also increased. Last year, 73 people were housed, but this year the number increased to 114.
Ms Murphy said the weeks leading up to Christmas were traditionally quiet. However, that was not the case this year.
‘‘We thought we would be winding down but we are actually winding up,'' she said.
In addition to the increasing number of women coming through the doors of the refuge, staff were gearing up for what was normally a busy time in January, Ms Murphy said.
‘‘People tend to put up with stuff for the kids and after Christmas they decide they have had enough,'' Ms Murphy said.
The ‘‘It's Not OK'' television campaign was having an effect, with higher numbers of people seeking help after putting up with ongoing violence for several years, she said.
The message that it was not okay to witness, see or hear violence was an important one, she said.
The continuing cycle of violence passed on to children living in violent homes particularly concerned Ms Murphy.
‘‘Children in the five to 10 [year] age group display copying behaviours - the only thing they know is violence,'' she said. Children's reaction to violence often resulted in problems at school.
‘‘Their [the child's] whole life is a struggle as well, until someone stands up and says ‘that's enough' and that's not always easy. There are lots of reasons people stay,'' she said.
Abuse took many forms, she said. It did not have to be physical violence. It could be subtle abuse, a controlling, manipulative attitude which could be ‘‘totally disempowering''.
Only about 10 per cent of the families the refuge worked with were subject to physical violence, she said. ‘‘Black eyes and bruising were less common.''
Refuge staff talk to women about their options and what support is available to them in order to make a decision about their future.
Gore Counselling Centre counsellor Margaret Gillan said people were more aware of family violence and that was as a result of anti-violence campaigns. The number of people seeking help at the centre for family violence issues had increased during the past year.
‘‘That's a good thing because the majority of clients are self-referrals. They are seeking help before they get out of hand, whereas before they were ordered to come from the courts,'' Mrs Gillan said.
‘‘It's their decision to ask for help,'' she said.
