Domestic violence can have serious psychological consequences, yet, for a variety of reasons, the systems to which survivors turn are often unable to address the range of issues survivors face in trying to free their lives of violence and recover from its traumatic effects.  As a Center we are engaged in a fluid and evolving process to improve the range of services available to survivors of domestic violence and their children and to change the social conditions that perpetuate abuse and violence across the lifespan.  

We work collaboratively to develop good policy and practice in regard to domestic violence, trauma and mental health while keeping in mind the potential unintended consequences for survivors and their families.  In doing so, we examine and address a broad range of issue areas, including confidentiality; disability, accessibility, and universal design; substance abuse; accountability for perpetrators; cultural considerations; and the potential impact of trauma on child development and parenting.  As new questions and issues emerge, the Center will continue to provide a vehicle through which meaningful conversation can occur and recommendations for practice can be developed.

 

The Center is guided by three primary goals: to promote dialogue, build program capacity, and improve policies and practices at the national, state and local levels. Each goal involves different strategies to promote change.

 

In an effort to promote dialogue, The Center:

 

v      Facilitates critical thinking and raising awareness about the complex intersections between domestic violence, trauma, and/or mental health;

v      Disseminates information about current practice, model approaches, and successful collaborations; and

v        Offers conferences, symposia, and other opportunities for information-sharing, discussion, and consensus-building. 

 

We work to build program capacity by offering:

 

v     Information about existing program models;

v      Educational materials on domestic violence, trauma, mental health and other relevant issues;

v      Updates and synthesis of current research and information on emerging evidence-based and promising practices;

v        Curricula, tools, and training materials on safely and effectively responding to survivors living with the mental health effects of domestic violence, other lifetime trauma, and/or psychiatric disabilities; working with children exposed to trauma; and supporting parenting capacity and attachment;

v        Training on how to provide appropriate, accessible, and culturally-relevant services to survivors of domestic violence who are experiencing trauma and/or mental illness for both domestic violence advocacy networks and mental health systems; and

v        Consultation on appropriate strategies to implement trauma- and domestic violence informed practices within a particular state/local context.

 

The Center promotes policies and practices that will positively impact the lives of survivors and their children who are experiencing trauma and/or mental illness by offering:

 

v        Policy reports, briefings, recommendations, and consultations on emerging issues for domestic violence programs, mental health systems and other community based organizations;

v        Assistance with the identification of allies and opportunities to improve public policy;

v        Teleconferences, consultations, and symposia;

v        Forums on cross-cutting issues, such as the intersection of domestic violence, trauma, mental health, and culture; domestic violence, trauma, and substance abuse; the implications of neuroscience research on batterer intervention; domestic violence, trauma and mental health in immigrant and refugee communities; and the potential impact of trauma on child development and parenting; and

v        Periodic policy updates on the Center website.