National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health
The National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma and Mental Health (‘the Center’) is a national technical assistance project designed to cultivate a deeper understanding about the mental health and advocacy needs of survivors of domestic violence and their children and the impact of trauma on individual healing and social change. We encourage and facilitate collaboration among domestic violence advocates, mental health professionals, disability rights organizations and a variety of community-based service providers, as well as state domestic violence coalitions, state agencies, and other policy organizations at the state and national levels.
Our overarching goal is to ensure that all survivors of domestic violence and their children who are experiencing abuse-related trauma and/or living with mental illness can access the services that they may need to enhance their safety and well-being.
The Center does this by:
vPromoting dialogue between domestic violence and mental health organizations, policy-makers, and survivor/advocacy groups about the complex intersections of domestic violence, trauma and mental health and current strategies to enhance work in this area;
vBuilding capacity among local agencies, state domestic violence coalitions, and state mental health systems; and
vProviding recommendations on policies, practices, and collaborative models that will positively impact the lives of survivors and their children, particularly in relation to trauma and mental health.
The Center is committed to developing comprehensive, accessible, and culturally-relevant responses to the range of trauma-related issues faced by domestic violence survivors and their children; to promoting advocacy that is survivor-defined and rooted in principles of social justice; and to eradicating the social and psychological conditions that contribute to interpersonal abuse and violence across the lifespan.
The Center was established in October 2005, through a multi-year grant from the Administration on Children, Youth & Families, Administration on Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Grant # 90EV0349) to the Domestic Violence and Mental Health Policy Initiative (DVMHPI)¸ a Chicago-based project that works to address the unmet mental health needs of domestic violence survivors and their children and the traumatic effects of abuse across the lifespan.
Updates & Events
New!
Tip Sheet on Federal Anti-Discrimination Laws for Domestic Violence Shelters
The Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act all apply to domestic violence shelters. Click here for a tip sheet, which contains recommended practices for shelter qualification and intake processes, as well as practices to avoid. A second tip sheet focusing on the provision of services will be posted here at a later date.
Internet Safety
The person who abuses you could discover your email and internet activity. A safer way to use the Internet might be to use a computer at your local public library or another public place that offers internet access (such as a bookstore or cafe), at a friend's house, or at work. For more information regarding Internet safety, click here.
