Access to Advocacy: Serving Women with Psychiatric Disabilities in Domestic Violence Settings

Originally published in 2007, the Access to Advocacy curriculum was the first document to pull together training materials from the Center and several of its partner agencies on multiple different topics and present a comprehensive overview of our framework for and approach to bridging clinical, advocacy, and survivor perspectives. Although this content has been updated in our more recent trainings, the Access to Advocacy curriculum continues to serve as a foundational resource. Topics covered include the impact of trauma across the lifespan; recommendations for working with survivors experiencing the traumatic effects of abuse, mental health conditions, and/or psychiatric disability; recommendations for collaboration; developing inclusive and trauma-informed services; peer support principles; and legal issues. This curriculum was developed through a grant (2004-FW-AX-K032) from the US DOJ Office on Violence Against Women’s Ending Violence Against Women with Disabilities grant program.