Relationship Violence

by Marianne Cook, LICSW, Clinician, Harvard University Mental Health Service

Relationship violence is the physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological abuse of one partner by the other. This includes any behavior in a relationship that intentionally frightens, intimidates, manipulates, humiliates, or injures someone. Relationship violence affects millions of Americans each year and is not exclusive to any one group. It occurs across all sectors of society, within all ethnic groups, and in both opposite- and same-sex relationships.

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Resource Organizations » Relationship Violence

34 listing(s), including 13 with hotlines and 4 offering support groups

In Southern Berkshire County

Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition

berkshirestonewall.org/
P.O. Box 4921
Pittsfield, MA  01202
Main Line: 413-822-7268
MH Hotline: (800) 252-0227
LGBT Hotline: (888) 340-4528
The aim of the Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition is to promote the well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people from the Berkshire County area through communication, networking, support, education, political action, and fun. BSCC activities include discussion panels, speakers, infosocials, support groups, community action, social events and the publication of a bi-monthly calendar.

Elizabeth Freeman Center

www.elizabethfreemancenter.org/
Offers support group(s)
40 Railroad St
Great Barrington, MA  01230
413-429-8190
fax: 413-429-8193
24h Hotline: 866-401-2425
We serve the survivor, significant other, and family members who are experiencing, escaping or suffering the long-term affects of violence as well as children who have witnessed such violence. Our services include:
A 24 hour a day, seven day a week emergency response hotline with counselors available to accompany victims to hospitals, police stations and safety;
A confidential and secure residential shelter with in-house support services;
Individual counseling, and safety planning at EFC sites and off site;
Support groups;
Economic, housing and general advocacy and assistance;
Legal advocacy on-site in the county courts who assist victims to obtain 209A restraining orders and other necessary services;

Berkshire County Kids' Place & Violence Prevention Center, Inc.

www.kidsplaceonline.org/
63 Wendell Avenue
Pittsfield, MA  01201
main: 413-499-2800
Fax: 413-496-9327
Berkshire County Kids' Place is a fully accredited Children's Advocacy Center CACs provide a safe homelike atmosphere where child abuse victims and their non- offending family members can receive the services necessary to heal from the trauma of abuse.
Kids' Place gives children who have experienced violence in their lives, either as victims of abuse or witnesses to domestic violence, a safe place to tell their stories and get help.

In Massachusetts

Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence

www.atask.org
P.O. Box 120208
Boston, MA  02112
Hotline: 617-338-2355
Since 1987 the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence has worked with area social service organizations, institutions, and community leaders to end family violence and strengthen Asian families and communities. Our confidential 24 hour hotline is available for those who have questions, are confused, or are in emergency situations looking for a safe place to stay.

D.O.V.E. Youth Hotline

www.doveinc.info/
Offers support group(s)
P.O. Box 690267
Quincy, MA  02269
Youth Hotline: 617-773-4878
Crisis Hotline: 617-471-1234
D.O.V.E. addresses domestic abuse and dating violence. The services provided are: battered women and children services, including Crisis Hotline (counseling and crisis intervention); temporary shelter (in a protected, confidential environment); individual counseling; advocacy; and support groups.

Department of Children and Families

www.mass.gov/
Hotline: 800-792-5200
The Department of Children and Families (DCF) is the Massachusetts state agency responsible for protecting children from child abuse and neglect. To report abuse or neglect, call the Child-at-Risk Hotline anytime of the day or night at 800-792-5200. DCF relies on reports from professionals and other concerned individuals to learn about children who may need protection. DCF receives reports on more than 100,000 children each year. Certain professionals are mandated to report child abuse and neglect; however, anyone can report child abuse and neglect.

Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project

www.gmdvp.org/
955 Massachusetts Avenue
PMB 131
Cambridge, MA  02139
Hotline: 800-832-1901
Office: 617-354-6056
The Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project is a grassroots, non-profit organization founded by a gay male survivor of domestic violence and developed through the strength, contributions and participation of the community.
The Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project supports victims and survivors through education, advocacy and direct services. Understanding that the serious public health issue of domestic violence is not gender specific, we serve men in relationships with men, regardless of how they identify, and stand ready to assist them in navigating through abusive relationships.

REACH Beyond Domestic Violence

www.reachma.org
P.O. Box 540024
Waltham, MA  02454
Hotline: 800-899-4000
Main Phone: 781-891-0724
Fax: 781-891-3861
REACH is committed to advancing the safety, healing, and empowerment of those who experience domestic or relationship violence, through direct services and education while promoting social justice for individuals and families of all backgrounds. Teens P.A.V.E. the Way is a statewide summit to train teens as peer educators, helping to break the cycle of relationship abuse.

Safelink

www.casamyrna.org/
P.O. Box 180019
Boston, MA  02118
Hotline: 877-785-2020
TTY: 877-521-2601
SafeLink, Casa Myrna's statewide, toll-free, domestic violence hotline, was created in October of 2000 by Casa Myrna Vazquez, with support from the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF). SafeLink is a critical resource to those affected by domestic violence - women, men, adults, youth, victims of abuse and their family members, friends, and colleagues.
Callers to SafeLink receive confidential "help at the end of the line" 24 hours a day, every day of the year. SafeLink's specially trained advocates provide support in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and have access to TTY (877-521-2601) and translation services through on-call specialists at the ATT Language Line. That resource can provide simultaneous interpretation in over 140 languages, giving SafeLink the capacity to respond to most callers in their native language.

The Network / La Red

www.thenetworklared.org
PO Box 6011
Boston, MA  02114
Hotline: 617-742-4911
TTY: 617-227-4911
Office: 617-695-0877
In 1992, The Network/La Red began to offer free services for abused lesbians, bisexual women, and transgender (LBT) folks. Today these services have expanded and include a Hotline, Safe Home (emergency shelter) program, Advocacy program, and Organizing/Outreach program. All services are bilingual and wheelchair- & TTY-accessible. ASL interpreters, air filters, and reimbursement for child-care are available as needed. All services are free of charge.

Transition House

www.transitionhouse.org/housing-programs
1035 Cambridge Street, B10
Cambridge, MA  02140
Hotline: 617-661-7203
Office: 617-868-1650
Transition House began as shelter for battered women and their children, and we are proud to continue that tradition with our emergency shelter. In addition, Transition House offers two long-term housing programs for individuals and families who have experienced domestic violence.
Our commitment to the individuals and families that we serve is to provide safety and stability while encouraging self-exploration, professional skill-building and personal growth, leading to emotional well-being, self-reliance and full membership in the larger community.

Center for Hope and Healing

www.centerforhopehealing.org/
Offers support group(s)
144 Merrimack Street, Suite 304
Lowell, MA  01852
Hotline: 1-800-542-5212
Rape Crisis Services of Greater Lowell (RCSGL) is dedicated to the healing and empowerment of survivors of rape and sexual assault through counseling, advocacy and education.
RCSGL offers individual counseling sessions for victims of rape and/or sexual assault ages 13 and up.
Individual Counseling Sessions can be provided in English, Khmer, Portuguese and Spanish. Interpreters for other languages available upon on request.
Rape Crisis Services of Greater Lowell also offers support groups focusing on different topics for survivors of rape and/or sexual assault and for families and friends of survivors.

Child Witness to Violence Program

www.childwitnesstoviolence.org
88 East Newton Street
Boston, MA  02118
617-414-4244
The Child Witness to Violence Project (CWVP) is a counseling, advocacy, and outreach project that focuses on the growing number of young children who are hidden victims of violence: children who are bystanders to community and domestic violence.
CWVP is staffed by a multi-cultural, multi-lingual staff of social workers, psychologists, early childhood specialists, and a consulting pediatrician and consulting attorney. It is run under the auspices of the Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Boston Medical Center.

Close to Home- Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative

www.c2home.org
42 Charles St. Suite A
Dorchester, MA  02122
617-929-5151
Close to Home's mission is to foster community-wide responsibility to prevent and reduce the impact of domestic violence. Close to Home builds and supports networks of community residents and organizations in local neighborhoods that want to take action and address the problem of domestic violence together. Close to Home believes that domestic violence is a critical community issue and that all community members - youth, residents, families, friends, neighbors, civic leaders, and organizational partners - are essential to designing and implementing the solutions to the problem. Close to Home seeks to create opportunities for people and organizations to learn about domestic violence in their community, discuss and reflect on domestic violence in their lives and communities, develop skills to respond to and prevent domestic violence, develop and implement solutions to domestic violence, and build strong meaningful connections with each other.

Dating Violence Intervention Project and Shelter

www.transitionhouse.org/youth-family-services
1035 Cambridge Street, B10
Cambridge, MA  02141
Hotline: 617-661-7203
Office: 617-868-1650
The Dating Violence Intervention Program is a school-based curriculum for the prevention of relationship violence among adolescents.
In January 1999 DVIP created the RESPECT Line, the first hotline for teens operated by teens in Massachusetts. Since its inception thirteen years ago, the Dating Violence Intervention Project has reached over 50,000 students in approximately 45 schools and has been used as a model on a national basis.

EMERGE

www.emergedv.com
2464 Massachusetts Avenue
Suite 101
Cambridge, MA  02140
617-547-9879
Emerge's mission is to eliminate violence in all interpersonal relationships. In working toward this goal, Emerge seeks to educate individual abusers, prevent young people from learning to accept violence in their relationships, improve institutional responses to domestic violence, and increase public awareness about the causes and solutions to relational violence.

Family Justice Center of Boston

www.cityofboston.gov/fjc
989 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA  02215
617-779-2100
The Family Justice Center (FJC) of Boston provides a safe and welcoming environment where you can talk about your experiences and explore your options. You may need help finding your way through the legal system and understanding your rights as a victim. You may want to know if and how your child has been harmed, and by whom. You may be looking for the support that you need to stay safe and start over. At the FJC, individuals and families have access to a wide range of free services offered by a diverse group of partner organizations. FJC Partners are here to serve all victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse - including non-English speakers, immigrants (regardless of your status) and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals. Childcare is provided during your visit. All services are offered free of charge.

Fenway Community Health Center, Violence Recovery Program

www.fenwayhealth.org
Offers support group(s)
1340 Boylston Street
Boston, MA  02215
800-834-3242
The Violence Recovery Program (VRP) at Fenway Community Health was founded in 1986. The VRP provides counseling, support groups, advocacy, and referral services to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) victims of bias crime, domestic violence, sexual assault and police misconduct. Other services include a support group for LGBT domestic violence survivors, the region's only support group for male survivors of rape and sexual assault, advocacy with the courts and police, and assistance with victim compensation.
Click for a direct link to the Violence Recovery Program.

Futures Without Violence

www.futureswithoutviolence.org
281 Summer Street
Boston, MA  02116
617-262-5900
Everyone has the right to live free of violence. Futures Without Violence, formerly Family Violence Prevention Fund, works to prevent and end violence against women and children around the world. From domestic and dating violence, to child abuse and sexual assault, Futures Without Violence works to end some of the most pressing global issues of our time.
We advance the health, stability, education, and security of women and girls, men and boys worldwide. Striving to reach new audiences and transform social norms, we train professionals such as doctors, nurses, athletic coaches, and judges on improving responses to violence and abuse. As well, we work with advocates, policy makers and others to build sustainable community leadership and educate people everywhere about the importance of respect and healthy relationships - the relationships that all individuals, families, and communities need and deserve.

Girls’ LEAP Self-Defense, Inc.

girlsleap.org/index.htm
971 Commonwealth Avenue, Suite 22
Boston, MA  02215
617-787-2112
Fax: 617-787-2111
Girls' LEAP (Lifetime Empowerment & Awareness Program) trains at-risk girls aged 8-18 in verbal and physical safety skills and self-awareness. LEAP helps girls develop a diverse set of responses to violence, beyond the extremes of passivity and escalation. LEAP's physical skills techniques maximize girls' options and help girls to make safe decisions in spite of fear. The self-reflective skills strengthen girls' ability to say "no" in difficult situations, to create safe and constructive boundaries, and to identify and trust their own feelings.

GRLZ Radio 540 AM

www.grlzradio.org
Saint Mary's Women and Children's Center
90 Cushing Avenue, 4th floor
Dorchester, MA  02125
617-436-8600
The GRLZ Radio, Broadcasting & Music Production Program is a nationally recognized radio station and after school program which gives young women a voice in their community. A first of its kind violence prevention and girls' leadership development initiative, GRLZ radio allows adolescent girls to gain technical skills, build a positive identity, and speak out on issues that are important to them. The station broadcasts daily on AMRadio with all aspects of production, programming, and on-air activities orchestrated by the girls themselves.

Journey to Safety, Jewish Family & Children's Services (JF&CS)

www.jfcsboston.org/OurPrograms/BasicNeeds/JourneytoSafetyDomesticAbuse/tabid/212/Default.aspx
1430 Main Street
Waltham, MA  02451
781-647-5327
Journey to Safety (formerly Kol Isha) provides culturally competent and religiously sensitive services to all victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking no matter what their background, with specialized services for the Jewish community and the Russian-speaking community. Services are available to adults, seniors, teens and the GLBT community, and are designed to provide the support and resources needed to help victims remain safe. All services are free and confidential.

Maria Talks

www.mariatalks.com
877-627-3933
Maria Talks is a statewide sexual health hotline and website designed specifically for Massachusetts teens covering topics such as pregnancy, sexual violence and GLBTQ. AIDS Action Committee (AAC) developed this website with funding from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH).

Newton-Wellesley Hospital Domestic and Sexual Violence Services

www.nwh.org/community-health-resources/domestic-and-sexual-violence-services/
2014 Washington Street
Newton Lower Falls, MA  02462
617-243-6521
Newton-Wellesley Hospital provides free and confidential domestic and sexual violence services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The Hospital program works to provide comprehensive, culturally-competent care specific to the needs of the individual survivor.

Second Step

www.thesecondstep.org
P.O. Box 600223
Newtonville, MA  02460
617-965-3999
The Second Step provides resources and stabilization services to women in the Greater Boston area who are in abusive situations and have left their abusers and need continued services or support. The Second Step provides transitional services to survivors of domestic abuse and their children, including: transitional housing, assistance with finding employment or training, and children's services.

Outside Massachusetts

National Domestic Violence Hotline

www.ndvh.org
Hotline: 800-799-7233
TTY: 800-787-3224
At the National Domestic Violence Hotline we believe that every caller deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, that every family deserves to live in a world free from violence, and that safe homes and safe families are the foundation of a safe society.
Until the violence stops, the hotline will continue to answer--One Call at a Time. Help is available to callers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Hotline advocates are available for victims and anyone calling on their behalf to provide crisis intervention, safety planning, information and referrals to agencies in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Assistance is available in English and Spanish with access to more than 140 languages through interpreter services. If you or someone you know is frightened about something in your relationship, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline

www.loveisrespect.org
Helpline: 866-331-9474
TTY: 866-331-8453
National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline is a national resource that can be accessed by phone or the internet. The Helpline and loveisrespect.org offer real-time one-on-one support from trained Peer Advocates. The National Domestic Violence Hotline operates loveisrespect, National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline from their call center in Austin, TX.

Nineline

www.nineline.org
Hotline: 800-999-9999
TTY Hotline: 800-999-9915
Covenant House Nineline is for kids who need to talk. Crisis counselors are available 24/7 to discuss issues around family, relationships, feelings, suicide, basic needs, abuse, health, sex, drugs and alcohol, and running away. The hotline is free and confidential. The Nineline website has information for young people on a wide range of physical and mental health topics.

Break the Cycle

www.breakthecycle.org
888-988-TEEN
Break the Cycle offers programs providing help, tools and information to prevent and end domestic and dating violence. www.thesafespace.org is the most comprehensive resource on the web to provide education about domestic violence.

Date Safe Project

www.thedatesafeproject.org
7353 West Forest Home Avenue
Suite 20906
Greenfield, WI  53220
Toll Free: 800-329-9390
Through interactive presentations, educational resources, and unique national initiatives, The Date Safe Project is committed to being the nation's leading organization for teaching how "asking first" makes all the difference in creating safer intimacy and in decreasing occurrences of sexual assault. Changing the old message of "No Means No" to now saying, "Do You Ask?" insures that consent is requested and obtained before any act of intimacy begins. The focus moves to the person responsible for requesting consent -- the individual committing the intimate touching or kissing. A better understanding of consent leads to healthier dating environments and to a greater awareness toward the many issues surrounding sexual assault. The Date Safe Project provides students, educators, schools, and communities with interactive keynote presentations, workshops, books, and educational resources that are filled with fun exercises, thought-provoking lessons, emotionally touching stories, and easy to implement concepts. Parents are given simple solutions to talk with their kids about tough questions regarding dating and sexual assault awareness.

National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence

www.ncdsv.org
4612 Shoal Creek Boulevard
Austin, Texas 78756
512-407-9020
The National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence provides training and consultation, influences policy, and promotes collaboration with the goal of ending domestic and sexual violence. The website provides links to extensive resources related to relationship violence within specific communities. There is a special section on the organization's efforts to stop relationship violence in military families: www.ncdsv.org/ncd_militaryresponse.html.

That's Not Cool

www.thatsnotcool.com
Helpline: 866-331-9474
Website that provides information to raise awareness about digital dating abuse and address new and complicated problems between teens who are dating or hooking-up such as problems like constant and controlling texting, pressuring for nude pictures and breaking into someone's email or social networking page. Sponsored and co-created by the Family Violence Prevention Fund, the Office on Violence Against Women and the Ad Council.

The Safe Space

www.thesafespace.org
Helpline: 866-331-9474
Website designed for teenagers to provide information and assistance for dealing with domestic and dating violence such as tips on calling the police and safety planning.

Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention
1600 Clifton Rd.
Atlanta, GA  30341
800-232-4636
Violence is a serious public health problem in the United States. From infants to the elderly, it affects people in all stages of life. In 2005, more than 18,000 people were victims of homicide and more than 32,000 took their own life. The number of violent deaths tells only part of the story. Many more survive violence and are left with permanent physical and emotional scars. Violence also erodes communities by reducing productivity, decreasing property values, and disrupting social services. This CDC website includes information on a variety of topics related to violence prevention, including youth violence, relationship violence, and suicide.

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Additional Sources of Information

Additional information is available at the Boston Public Health Commission’s “Domestic Violence Program,” which also offers a monthly newsletter (call (617) 534-2687 or e-mail domesticviolence@bphc.org).

Forensic Nursing. “Forensic nursing combines science and medicine, law and criminology. At its root, forensic nurses are advocates for patients and resource people, managing the care and efforts of all disciplines involved in the response to incidences of assault or abuse.”

Disclaimer: Material on the Project INTERFACE web site is intended as general information. It is not a recommendation for treatment, nor should it be considered medical or mental health advice. Project INTERFACE urges families to discuss all information and questions related to medical or mental health care with a health care professional.