When a person perceives there is danger, a fight-or-flight response sets into motion many physiological changes that prepare him or her to address the danger. Heart rate and breathing speed up, blood pressure rises; the person is energized and, hopefully, ready to meet the challenge.Just as it helped the caveman...

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Empowerment can best be described as a client’s ability to be actively involved in his or her care. Empowered clients see—and believe— themselves to be capable of making decisions about their treatment, and are confident that their decisions will help them effectively manage their mental illnesses (Alegria M et al,...

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Therapy needs to be tailored to the issues, the patient, and the risk factors in her environment. This is especially true in domestic violence, where our urge to spirit a battered woman away from her partner may feel like a good idea to us, but not reflect a client’s best...

Patients who have been exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) often develop significant psychiatric symptoms, most commonly insomnia, anxiety, and depression (Wuest J et al, Can J Public Health 2007,98(6):460–464; Stene L et al, Scand J Public Health 2010, 38(5 Suppl):88–95). Despite the fact that a majority of those exposed...

Annie Mortimer (not her real name), a graduate student in her late 20s, came to the Safe Horizon Community Program after her therapist of six months had terminated services with her.Annie had initially gone to this therapist for depressive symptoms, and to deal with longstanding family issues. About four months...