Responding to Intimate Partner Violence in Mental Health and
Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services
October 8, 2020 | 1:00 to 3:00 pm | Online
Gabriela Zapata-Alma LCSW CADC
Director of Policy and Practice on Domestic Violence and Substance Use
Gabriela Zapata-Alma, LCSW, CADC, is the Director of Policy and Practice for Domestic Violence and Substance Use at the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health, as well as faculty at The University of Chicago, where they coordinate the Advanced Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor certification program at the School of Social Service Administration. Gabriela brings over 15 years of experience supporting people impacted by substance use disorders, mental health conditions, violence, trauma, housing instability, and HIV/AIDS; leading programs using trauma-informed approaches, Motivational Interviewing, harm reduction, gender-responsive care, Housing First, and third-wave behavioral interventions. Gabriela has been recognized with numerous awards, including Health & Medicine Policy Research Group’s 2018 Health Award, and the 2017 Rising Star Award from the Illinois chapter of the National Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC). Gabriela provides consultation on trauma-informed policy at the national level, as well as training and technical assistance related to serving marginalized communities impacted by trauma and other social determinants of health nationally and internationally.
Description:
It has long been recognized that abuse by an intimate partner can have traumatic mental health and substance use effects. Research has found high rates of both past and current intimate partner violence (IPV) among people in mental health care and substance use disorder treatment settings. A growing body of evidence has found that abuse often targets a partner’s mental health and substance use in deliberate attempts to undermine and control survivors to keep them from achieving their recovery goals. These forms of abuse, known as mental health coercion and substance use coercion, not only jeopardize the well-being of survivors and their children, but also compromise the effectiveness of mental health and substance use disorder treatment. All of this is further complicated by escalating rates and severity of IPV during the COVID-19 pandemic. This session will provide mental health counselors and recovery specialists with a conceptual framework for understanding survivors’ mental health and substance use concerns within the context of IPV, will prepare practitioners to recognize and respond to mental health coercion and substance use coercion within treatment services, and will equip practitioners with strategies and resources to better serve survivors and their children.
As a result of participating in this session, attendees will be able to: