Clinicians play a vital role in empowering and advocating for patients who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). Here are ways clinicians can provide care for survivors of Intimate Partner Violence:
- Using empowering language: Reinforce survivor strengths at every visit. Use strengths-based language instead of deficit-based language.
- Explore community supports: Connect patients with individual and community supports that provide meaning and connection for the survivor
- Offer trauma-informed care: Acknowledge and validate the patient’s experiences without framing the patients as passive victims, but rather as survivors
- Share evidence-based intimate partner violence materials: Share with patients materials that are actionable, educational, allowing the patient to feel empowered to seek help on their own terms and timelines
- Screen for intimate partner violence routinely: Examine the safety of survivors regularly during visits and develop a plan that ensures their immediate safety if they are experiencing abuse
- Facilitate referrals to multidisciplinary teams: Refer the patient to other allied health professionals such as social work and mental health professionals, to reduce isolation and expand their support network.
