February 25th, 2012 
A recent study indicates that children exposed to domestic violence and other dangerous environments demonstrate differences in brain development. The children’s brains are not damaged, but develop patterns that help them to adapt to a dangerous environment. This adaptation that may help them in childhood may make them more vulnerable to anxiety and other mental health issues as adults.
Read more here
February 17th, 2012 “Books helped me in my darkest days. I want to empower others the same way,” says Sonia Qazi
On Sept. 23, 2011, Sonia’s mother, Najma Bibi, and her sister, Sidra Mehtab, 18, who remained in their native Pakistan, were brutally murdered — allegedly by assassins hired by Bibi’s husband. Instead of allowing her grief to take over, Sonia decided to do something positive with her pain. Together with her best friend, Sehar Parvez, and her roommate, Suzan Tang, Sonia formed Freedom Through Books in December 2011. Freedom Through Books is non-profit organization whose purpose is to donate books to shelters supporting the needs of domestic violence survivors and homeless families.
Additional information about Freedom Through Books and how to donate new or gently used books may be found by visiting www.facebook.com/freedomthroughbooks
Read the full story
February 10th, 2012 
A bill was recently passed in the Senate that requires companies with more than 50 employees to allow up to 15 days of leave for any employee who is a victim of domestic violence or lives with a family member who is a victim of domestic violence.
Employees can use the leave to obtain any DV-related services, including medical attention, counseling, housing, or to obtain orders of protection and other legal assistance.
Employers can require employees to provide documentations, such as restraining orders, police reports, or medical notes to certify that the employee or employee’s family member is a victim of domestic violence. The bill requires the employer to keep all information about the employee’s leave confidential. Employees must exhaust all available leave, such as vacation and sick time, before seeking leave established under this bill; however, an employer may waive this requirement.
Read more here
February 3rd, 2012 Serial domestic abusers will no longer be able to easily get close to their former victims. Once convicted, they will now be required to wear a tracing bracelet upon release. The GPS tracking device will send a text alert to the former victim if the abuser gets within 1,000 feet. Currently, this program is only available in Staten Island, NY, but hopefully will be adapted nationwide.
What a wonderful idea!
Read more here
January 27th, 2012 
I loved Star Trek (all of them except maybe Deep Space Nine) because of the psychology and social psychology themes. John Luc Picard, played by Sir Patrick Stewart, is one of my favorite captains of Enterprise. I always enjoyed his acting, but gained a new level of respect for him after hearing him talk about his childhood experience with domestic violence during a recent BBC World News interview. He speaks eloquently about the shame of living with “a silent crime,” and feeling helpless to protect his mother from victimization. Patrick Steward provides a glimpse of how challenging it is for children growing up with violence in the home. Because of his personal experience with domestic violence he is now is now a patron of the charity Refuge which helps victims.
Watch the video clip here
December 9th, 2011 
Dr. Bhandart is encouraging the orthopedic community to look beyond the fracture to the person and treat the entire person by being concerned about how she got the fracture. He admits that medical doctors often focus on the physical body that is injured neglecting to event think about the circumstances. Read more on his efforts to get the medical community to address Domestic Violence here.
December 7th, 2011 Domestic Violence does not discriminate. The recent murder of Annamarie Rintala is an example of the
devastating effects of domestic violence in the lesbian community. Her wife, Cara Rintala is being held without bail accused of her murder. The couple was together for nearly 10 years, and both worked as paramedics for local fire departments. Prosecutors describe the relationship as one marred by mutual physical and emotional abuse. Each had taken restraining orders out against the other and an investigation by the Department of Social Services found that their daughter had been neglected. Read more
November 11th, 2011 Nasty People: How to Stop Being Hurt by Them Without Becoming One of Them
by Jay Carter, Psy.D. (2003) McGraw-Hill
This book will provide you with guidance and support in dealing with all the nasty people in your life. Regain your power without ending important relationships or quitting your job. A good reference for anyone, including those who are not recovering from domestic violence relationships.
This book also come in gender spacific versions.
November 2nd, 2011 Why does he do that? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men
By Lundy Bancroft (2002) Reed Business Information, Inc.
Lundy Bancroft is an expert in the field of domestic violence and has written many informative
books on the topic. His expertise comes from being the former co-director of Emerge, the first program in the United Sates for abusive men. This book explains abusive thinking, the techniques abusive men use to manipulate their families and the legal system. In addition, this book provides more information about early warning signs, abusive personalities, and the process of attempting to help abusive men change. This is a great book to read to gain understanding and to help sort through issues, if you are trying to decide if you want to stay in a relationship. It is also very helpful if you have to remain in contact with your abuser because you have children to raise together after you have left. Find out more and get your copy here.
October 31st, 2011 
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. People have been asking me “What can I do about domestic violence? Is there something I can do to help?”
Here is a short list of ideas.
7. Find out more about domestic violence. Go to http://www.clicktoempower.org/ and see the stories of survivors and what made the difference for them.
6. Go to http://whatwedid4love.com and support the National Domestic Violence Hotline by purchasing these pieces.
5. Learn about how domestic violence impacts your workplace by visiting http://www.caepv.org/.
4. Remember the National Domestic Violence Hotline Number: 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or http://www.thehotline.org/. You can call to help others or yourself.
3. Donate your old cell phone, batteries, or chargers (any brand) at any Verizon Wireless store or use free mailing label http://aboutus.vzw.com/communityservice/Shipping.html.
2. Learn to talk to your kids about healthy relationships by downloading tip booklets from http://www.loveisnotabuse.com/.
1. Don’t ask “Why would that victim go back?” ask “Why would a person hit or abuse someone they love?”
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