WEBINAR: In Honor of Mental Health Awareness Month: Mental Health Treatment in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence

Co-presented by Carole Warshaw, MD, Director, and Gabriela Zapata-Alma LCSW CADC, Associate Director

Research has consistently documented that experiencing abuse by an intimate partner increases one’s risk for developing a range of mental health and substance use conditions. Experiencing multiple forms of trauma, including structural violence and marginalization, further amplify these risks.

Less well recognized, are the ways that people who abuse their partners engage in coercive tactics targeted toward their partner’s mental health or substance use as part of a broader pattern of abuse and control. For survivors of IPV responding to trauma raises another set of concerns, particularly when the trauma is unremitting, and “symptoms” reflect a response to ongoing danger and coercive control.

This webinar will provide an overview of the impact of IPV on mental health, best practices for offering mental health treatment in the context of IPV and other trauma, and suggestions for incorporating a culturally responsive, IPV- and trauma-informed approach.

Attendees will gain insights into:

• Mental health impacts of IPV and mental health coercion
• Challenges in treating complex trauma in the context of ongoing abuse
• Principles of IPV-specific and trauma-informed care
• Adapting interventions for IPV survivors’ needs

Whether you’re a mental health professional, advocate, or program leader, this webinar will deepen your understanding of these critical issues.

This webinar is part of the From Crisis to Collaboration: Supporting Survivors with Stigmatized Mental Health Experiences series.