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Lisbet wondered if the victim advocate had made a mistake. Lisbet was at the Family Justice Center in San Diego, a social services agency for domestic violence survivors, trying to get help with basic needs like shelter and food after leaving her abusive husband. And she was being offered counseling.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, why do I need therapy? Do they think I’m crazy?’” recalls Lisbet, who asked that her last name not be used in order to protect her children’s safety. “I couldn’t understand at that moment how important it is to seek therapy after overcoming a traumatic situation.”
While it came as a surprise to Lisbet, domestic violence survivors often need mental health care. Like veterans of wars or victims of human trafficking, these survivors have often been subjected to prolonged periods of extreme stress and fear for their safety, which is harmful to the health of both body and brain. The need is widespread: An estimated one in four women and one in seven men in the United States experience severe physical violence at the hand of an intimate partner in their lifetime.
Californians in general struggle to find and afford mental health treatment, but the access difficulties are magnified for survivors. These access challenges are often compounded by practical, cultural, and linguistic barriers, including—as in Lisbet’s case—the overwhelming nature of domestic violence, health insurance limitations, stigma, and fear of turning to authorities for help.
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