National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health

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

09/09/2026

Honoring a Legacy. Carrying the Work Forward.

After more than two decades leading the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health—and 45 years dedicated to advocacy—our founding Director, Dr. Carole Warshaw, will step down from her leadership role at the end of September.

This long-planned transition is a moment to honor Carole’s extraordinary contributions to NCDVTMH and the broader field, as well as the ideas, partnerships, and body of work she has helped cultivate.

We are also pleased to share that Gabriela Zapata-Alma, LCSW, CADC, will become NCDVTMH’s next Director on September 30, 2026. Having worked alongside Carole for the past seven years, including five years as Associate Director, Gabriela brings deep expertise, creativity, integrity, and an enduring commitment to survivor-centered practice.

In her message, Carole reflects on the work that has shaped her career, the future of NCDVTMH, and her confidence in the leadership carrying it forward.

Read Carole’s full message: https://ow.ly/omtz50ZLggf

09/01/2026

How can states build stronger, more coordinated responses to substance use and mental health coercion in the context of intimate partner violence?

Join us on September 9 at 12:00 p.m. CT to learn about Weave West Virginia, an innovative statewide initiative connecting domestic violence programs, behavioral health organizations, healthcare providers, state agencies, and community partners to strengthen support for survivors and their families.

Developed in a predominantly rural state, the model offers practical strategies for:
• Building effective cross-system partnerships
• Expanding survivor-centered, trauma-informed services
• Strengthening responses across rural and geographically dispersed communities
• Improving coordinated care for pregnant and postpartum survivors
Presenters will share the model’s implementation strategies, successes, and lessons learned—along with approaches that can inform similar efforts in other communities.

Register now: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_M-N5LiWRR6q0wtoTEA6aDw #/registration

08/07/2026

Join us for the NRCDV Policy and Research Briefing: The Intersection of Substance Use and Safe Housing for Survivors

August 27, 2026 | 3:00-4:30pm EST

This year we are excited to spotlight a collaboration between The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence NRCDV), the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health (NCDVTMH), the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and StrongHearts Native Helpline.

NCDVTMH will share findings from a national survey of more than 14,000 survivors about the impacts of mental health and substance use coercion on their housing.

Attendees will also hear from Women In Transition (WIT), an organization in Philadelphia that provides free and confidential domestic violence and substance use services. To close, NRCDV will offer policy recommendations to ensure safe housing for survivors with behavioral health needs.

Presenters:
-Heather Phillips, Research Director, NCDVTMH
-Irene Brantley, Program Director, Women In Transition
-Ingrid Anderson, Advocacy Manager, NRCDV

Register here: https://nrcdv.coalitionmanager.org/eventmanager/trainingevent/details/141

07/02/2026

Are you a therapist in the Chicago area? We invite you to a listening session exploring the intersections of substance use and clinical work with Latino men who use violence. Your insights can help inform stronger, more responsive approaches to healing.

Deadline to apply: July 16.

Fill out the form to register: https://esperanzaunited.coalitionmanager.org/formmanager/formsubmission/create?formId=274&__cf_chl_f_tk=hw18XJxjXft82srZ3IFdZRyCLknch149ooX3MUFeeHA-1782995497-1.0.1.1-H0Md7s0HOvBB3WrpER13rWEJfbDBKBq3xgh9X3jVsW4

05/28/2026

A single moment of light is a beginning. The work of sustaining it is what carries healing forward — long after any single month has ended.

As we close Threads of Light, we want to leave you with something to carry into the days, and the years, ahead. A Wildflower Path: Healing in Hard Times is one of our most-loved resources — a gentle companion for survivors and those who walk alongside them, rooted in the understanding that healing unfolds in its own season.

For those who want to go further, our companion webinar series, A Wildflower Path: Navigating Wellness Through Life's Seasons, offers six sessions of practical mind-body-spirit practices — free, accessible, and especially helpful when words are not enough. Open to anyone touched by trauma, whether through personal experience or in supporting others.

Over the past month, we moved through four threads together: understanding, holding, weaving, and shining a light forward. Thank you for weaving alongside us.

The light does not end here. Neither does the work.

Access the toolkit and webinar series: https://ncdvtmh.org/toolkit/a-wildflower-path-healing-in-hard-times/

05/22/2026

Healing rarely happens in isolation; it happens across sectors, across families, and across the relationships that sustain us. This phase honors the cross-sector and family-centered work that ties this field together.

Weave West Virginia is one place where that work is taking root.

Our state pilot supports individuals and their families experiencing intimate partner violence and substance use coercion, building the kind of cross-sector collaboration that helps survivors stay safer, healthier, and more connected to the care they choose. It is a program whose name, fittingly, carries the campaign's metaphor into real-world practice.

Learn more: https://ncdvtmh.org/our-work/cross-sector/weave-west-virginia/

05/20/2026

We are honored to share that our Associate Director, Gabriela Zapata-Alma, and Research Director, Heather Phillips, will co-present at the Trauma Research Foundation's 37th Annual Boston International Trauma Conference — one of the longest-standing gatherings of trauma researchers, clinicians, and practitioners in the field.

Their session, "Systems and Public Health Approaches to Interpersonal Violence", brings NCDVTMH's two decades of work at the intersections of gender-based violence, trauma, mental health, and substance use into conversation with the broader trauma research community.

We are proud to see this work travel — and grateful to the Trauma Research Foundation for convening a space where systems-level and public health perspectives can shape the future of trauma-informed practice.

05/19/2026

For survivors of intimate partner violence, the path to healthcare is rarely a straight line. Stigma, fear of judgment, fear of losing custody, and the lasting effects of coercion can make it harder to access the care that supports long-term well-being — even when that care is exactly what is needed.

Survivor Health Connections exists to help survivors find — and stay connected to — the care they deserve.

Working alongside survivors, advocates, and healthcare partners, we are building stronger pathways between domestic violence services and the healthcare resources survivors actually want and need — from mental health and substance use treatment to primary care, reproductive health, and beyond. The work is rooted in a simple idea: survivors should be met as whole people, across every system they touch.

This is what weaving looks like in practice. Threads carried between sectors. Connections built with care.

Access this resource library: https://ncdvtmh.org/our-work/cross-sector/survivor-health-connections/

05/14/2026

On Tuesday, May 27, NCDVTMH is hosting a special Mental Health Awareness Month webinar in partnership with Esperanza United: Centering Connection: Latin@ Parent/Caregiver–Child Healing in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence.

This webinar highlights how therapists and advocates can support healing within the parent–child relationship in ways that center safety, empowerment, and building on personal and community strengths.

Featuring a new annotated bibliography and best practices tip sheet, this session emphasizes survivor-centered approaches that promote safety, strengthen relationships, and support mental health across generations.

Register now! https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0sqoIg19Twi6AUvogq8New

05/13/2026

In this short message, Amanda Lyon, LCSW, our TTA Manager, shares the heart of Circles of Support — why this guide was needed, what advocacy programs can do with it, and what becomes possible when we care for the people who care for survivors.

Address

Chicago, IL

Website

http://www.ncdvtmh.org/, https://linktr.ee/ncdvtmh

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