Advisory Group membership includes representatives from the following key stakeholder groups: the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Guard Bureau, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, veterans’ service organizations, victim advocacy organizations, veterans and veterans’ advocates, the judiciary, offender intervention programs, law enforcement, and the IPV research community. This group brings broad and extensive experience and expertise that will inform the work on the project. For more information about advisory group members, please click here.
Denise Gamache, the BWJP Executive Director began the meeting with an overview of BWJP. Glenna Tinney, the BWJP Military Advocacy Program Coordinator, discussed the project goal and tasks, and reported on progress to date. She explained the goal of the project is to improve outcomes for military-related victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). Military-related includes active duty, Reserve, and National Guard personnel, veterans, and their families. To accomplish this goal, BWJP will:
- Provide technical assistance, resources, and support for military and civilian advocates who serve military and veteran families and work with IPV victims.
- Use technological networking to link advocates to share expertise, mentor, and promote cross training of military and civilian advocates.
- Assist in organizing webinars or training events that address unique needs of military-related victims and challenges of advocating with the military and veterans systems.
- Establish a network of military and/or civilian advocates, attorneys, and other professionals with specialized expertise working with military-related families and victims to serve as a resource for advocates.
With the increase in military members, including National Guard and Reserves, returning from service in combat zones, many communities are seeking guidance on how to handle cases involving the co-occurrence of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and IPV. An effective response will require the cross training of all intervening service providers on these issues and initiation and institutionalization of communication and coordination among them. To address these issues, Ms. Tinney said BWJP will:
- Establish working groups of subject matter experts to develop a blueprint for a coordinated criminal justice response to the co-occurrence of combat-related PTSD and IPV that addresses both issues effectively.
- Develop a blueprint for a best practice model that includes a victim safety component, recommendations for screening and assessment protocols, and recommendations for enhancements to existing services and systems (e.g., advocacy, mental health, offender intervention).
Project consultant, April Gerlock, PhD, ARNP, Clinical Associate Director, University of Washington and Research Scientist, HSR&D Center of Excellence, Department of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, did a presentation on war zone deployment and the impact on IPV. Her presentation focused on research on the relationship between combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and IPV. Dr. Gerlock said that multiple research studies have shown that war zone deployment increases the risk of severe IPV. In addition, research findings show that veterans with PTSD have a higher incidence of IPV perpetration than veterans without PTSD.
Dr. Gerlock presented findings from her current research, The Relationships and PTSD Study: Detection of Intimate Partner Violence. She also discussed the features of both IPV and PTSD and identified which PTSD symptoms are most likely to contribute to abusive behaviors. Click here to view Dr. Gerlock's presentation. (Permission to use with proper citation.)
Advisory Group members then divided into two breakout groups to discuss the two major task areas of the project. Connie Sponsler-Garcia, the BWJP Training and Technical Assistance Manager, facilitated the group discussing the military and civilian advocates network. Ms. Tinney facilitated the group discussing the blueprint for the co-occurrence of combat-related PTSD and IPV. Each group focused on issues, challenges, and strategies, for continuing to move forward with the tasks.
The next steps for the project include:
- Increasing victim advocate awareness of the unique issues of the military-related population and the connection to IPV.
- Coordinating with the Department of Defense and civilian domestic violence programs to offer webinars to victim advocates who serve military-related IPV victims.
- Setting up the resource network for military and civilian advocates.
- Establishing working groups to develop the blueprint for responding to the co-occurrence of combat-related PTSD and IPV.
