KCSDV partners with National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma and Mental Health |
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The Domestic Violence and Mental Health Policy Initiative (DVMHPI) is a Chicago-based project designed to address the unmet mental health needs of domestic violence survivors and their children. Since 1999, DVMHPI has been working to enhance the collaboration between the mental health system and victim service providers nationwide.
Recently DVMHPI received a grant to continue its work, and the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence was invited to participate in the new grant initiatives. Over the course of the next three years, DVMHPI will assist KCSDV in developing a needs assessment, and providing technical assistance for the development and implementation of a strategic plan, which will provide Kansas survivors with more seamless options for mental health services.
“Programs across the state struggle to find local mental health providers that are well versed in the area of trauma as it relates to domestic and sexual violence, so KCSDV is excited to participate in this new initiative,” said Stacey Mann, KCSDV director of advocacy services.
On average, over half of the women seen in a range of mental health settings are either currently experiencing or have experienced abuse by an intimate partner. Many have endured multiple forms of abuse throughout their lives, putting them at greater risk for posttraumatic mental health problems.
A cross section of studies of battered women confirms the following statistics:
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorders ranged from 54-84 percent
- Depression ranged from 63-77 percent
- Anxiety ranged from 38-75 percent
The project will begin in the fall of 2009. Please contact Stacey at staceym@kcsdv.org or
(785) 232-9784 for more information.
Portions of this article were reprinted with permission. www.dvmhpi.org
Glad You Asked!
Q: Are there any new books that explain domestic violence?
A: As a matter of fact, there are a few, but one that I highly recommend is "Coercive Control, How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life" by Evan Stark. Stark details how abusive men can use coercive control to extend their dominance over time and through social space, in ways that both isolate and control women’s lives. He analyzes three cases of women who committed crimes in the context of abuse.
While the book is a bit long and can sometimes be an academic read, the manner in which Stark frames coercive control in both the personal and societal spheres is remarkable. Aside from being an author, Stark is an award-winning researcher and founder of one of the first shelters for abused women in the United States.
Glad you asked,
Stacey Mann, KCSDV director of advocacy services
staceym@kcsdv.org or (785) 232-9784.
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