National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health

National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health NCDVTMH promotes survivor-defined healing by transforming the systems that impact survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their families.

We envision a society free of systemic, collective, and individual trauma.

It takes a village to bridge the gap.This week, we want to share our appreciation for everyone working at the intersecti...
11/27/2025

It takes a village to bridge the gap.

This week, we want to share our appreciation for everyone working at the intersection of domestic violence, trauma, and mental health.

Whether you are answering crisis calls, providing direct services, drafting policy, conducting research, or simply listening to a friend in need—you are essential to survivors finding safety and healing.

For 20 years, NCDVTMH has been honored to support this work through training, research, and consultation. As we look toward next week, we're renewing our commitment to being a steady partner.

Save the date for Dec 2nd. Let's build a safer, more responsive field together.

Save the date for our upcoming ACRTI Cafe on November 13th at 2pm CST.Join Cathy Cave, Senior Training Consultant, for a...
11/04/2025

Save the date for our upcoming ACRTI Cafe on November 13th at 2pm CST.

Join Cathy Cave, Senior Training Consultant, for an interactive conversation on “Where We Are: Values Aligned Staff Support Strategies for NOW.” In this cafe, we’ll explore how to navigate changes and trauma that impact our organizations and support staff as we move through these adjustments and continue with our work.

Register Now: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/53dkbisVTG-Swk9D0qUBBw #/registration

We’re proud to announce that our Associate Director, Gabriela Zapata-Alma, LCSW, CADC, was selected to be part of The Al...
11/01/2025

We’re proud to announce that our Associate Director, Gabriela Zapata-Alma, LCSW, CADC, was selected to be part of The Allstate Foundation Executive Leadership Program’s Class of 2026!

Over the next seven months, Gabriela will participate in a customized, cohort-based learning experience through the School Center for Nonprofit Management at Northwestern University with 29 other nonprofit leaders from across the country.

10/31/2025

Amanda Lyon, LCSW, shares a simple practice for creating calm: the Butterfly Hug.

Try it now:
Cross your hands over your chest and gently tap side to side. Let thoughts pass without judgment. Practice as long as feels right.
This simple tool can help soothe stress, worry, or anxiety—for yourself, your team, or anyone you support.

Collective care isn't separate from survivor care—it sustains it.

This Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we've explored building foundations of safety together—through accessible support, cross-sector partnerships, professional development, and collective care.

Thank you for building with us. By caring for ourselves and each other, we create foundations that last.

The Guide for Emotional Support was created for advocates supporting survivors, but works across housing, mental health,...
10/29/2025

The Guide for Emotional Support was created for advocates supporting survivors, but works across housing, mental health, substance use, and harm reduction settings.

It includes:
✓ Sample dialogue for supportive conversations
✓ A fill-in planning template
✓ Strategies for connection and engagement

Use it to support survivors—or yourself. Everyone benefits from an emotional support plan.
Download: https://ncdvtmh.org/toolkit/guide-for-emotional-support/

10/29/2025

Amanda Lyon, LCSW, shares our Guide for Emotional Support—a tool for creating emotional safety for ourselves and those we support.

This fill-in guide helps you identify what helps when struggling, how others can support you, and what boundaries matter.

Download the Guide and Self-Directed Plan: https://ncdvtmh.org/toolkit/guide-for-emotional-support/

Strong foundations don't just support others—they sustain the people who build them.For our final DVAM week, we'll focus...
10/27/2025

Strong foundations don't just support others—they sustain the people who build them.

For our final DVAM week, we'll focus on how caring for ourselves and each other creates communities that thrive.

Thriving requires:
🌱 Recognizing that collective care supports survivor care
🌱 Creating sustainable practices for advocates and providers
🌱 Building emotional safety for ourselves and those we support
🌱 Valuing rest, reflection, and connection as essential work

You can't build lasting foundations on unsustainable practices. When we care for our teams, support each other's well-being, and create space for healing, we build infrastructure that endures.

How do you sustain yourself in this work?

3 Tools for Supporting Access to Mental Health ResourcesHow do advocates help survivors navigate complex mental health s...
10/24/2025

3 Tools for Supporting Access to Mental Health Resources

How do advocates help survivors navigate complex mental health systems? Our tip sheet series provides practical guidance for each stage:
▫️ Preparation - Build your knowledge to provide informed support
▫️ Planning - Collaborate on self-defined wellness goals
▫️ Staying Connected - Maintain ongoing support throughout the process

These tools help you navigate systems alongside survivors while centering their choice and agency.

Download the series: https://ncdvtmh.org/toolkit/increasing-access-to-mental-health-or-substance-use-resources-preparation-planning-and-staying-connected/

10/22/2025

One of the most important skills in supporting survivors? Having open, judgment-free conversations about tough topics like mental health and substance use.

Amanda Lyon, LCSW, our Training and Technical Assistance Manager, shares how our Mental Health and Substance Use Coercion Palm Cards can help.

These practical, pocket-sized resources provide:
✓ Tips for starting conversations about mental health and substance use
✓ Guidance on collaborative safety planning
✓ Recognition of coercion tactics
✓ Language that reduces stigma and supports agency

Access all palm card resources: https://ncdvtmh.org/results/?_sf_s=palm%20card

Strong foundations require skilled hands to build them.This week, we focus on how professional development and cross-tra...
10/20/2025

Strong foundations require skilled hands to build them.

This week, we focus on how professional development and cross-training create capacity for quality support at the intersections of domestic violence, mental health, trauma, and substance use.

Skilled support means:
▫️Training MH/SU providers on recognizing and responding to DV
▫️Training DV advocates on mental health, substance use, and trauma-informed care
▫️Building interdisciplinary teams
▫️Creating sustainable work environments

When we invest in workforce development, survivors receive care that addresses their whole experience—not just isolated pieces. This week, we'll share practical tools and resources for building capacity and providing comprehensive support.

What professional development has strengthened your practice?

Safety comes from community, not just systems.Your "pod" is your personal support network—people you can turn to for hel...
10/17/2025

Safety comes from community, not just systems.

Your "pod" is your personal support network—people you can turn to for help, who ground you, who have your back.

Pod Mapping (developed by Mia Mingus and the Bay Area Transformative Justice Collective) helps you:
✓ Identify who's in your support network
✓ Strengthen existing relationships
✓ Build new connections for safety
✓ Create community-based support plans

This "Building Bridges" week, we're highlighting that strong support needs BOTH formal services AND informal community connections. The bridges between people matter as much as bridges between organizations.

Learn more: Watch our podmapping webinar, "Supporting Survivors’ Well-being (Part 5)" https://ow.ly/ILIp50XbI0g

Survivors deserve coordinated care, not fragmented systems. Integrated "no wrong door" programs connect domestic violenc...
10/15/2025

Survivors deserve coordinated care, not fragmented systems. Integrated "no wrong door" programs connect domestic violence, mental health, substance use, and healthcare services—based on survivors' self-defined needs.

Strong foundations require bridges between sectors, between services, and between communities.

What bridges are needed in your community?

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Chicago, IL

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https://linktr.ee/ncdvtmh

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