Because intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization is not, itself, a psychiatric condition, mental health treatment for survivors of IPV involves a combination of IPV-specific interventions related to safety, confidentiality, and access to resources, as well as treatment for the range of symptoms that can arise in the context of ongoing abuse. Although important strides have been made in addressing the general healthcare response to IPV, little research has specifically addressed treatment outcomes for the mental health sequelae of IPV. Over the past 30 years, recommendations for responding to IPV have evolved into consensus models of care that can be integrated into appropriate evidence-based and/or emerging multidimensional treatment approaches. This chapter reviews currently available intervention and treatment research, discusses the strengths and limitations of existing evidence-based models for addressing the range of issues faced by IPV survivors, and describes current consensus recommendations for IPV-specific interventions and trauma treatment.
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