October 27, 2006

Raising awareness about domestic violence

In recognition of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the MGH Domestic Violence Working Group (DVWG), the Partners Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and MGH Men Against Abuse joined forces to offer a series of educational events throughout October.

The month began with a presentation on teenagers and relationships led by Donna Kausek, LMHC, an EAP domestic violence specialist (pictured below), and Patti Rosell, MSW, LICSW, a HAVEN advocate. Parents learned how to help their children navigate the dating years and heard about practical strategies to teach their teens about healthy relationships.

On Oct. 11, MGHers attended a screening of the groundbreaking film "Something My Father Would Do: Overcoming Legacies of Family Violence" created by the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF). The film featured the life stories of men who had witnessed or experienced abuse as children, and was followed by a group discussion led by Lonna Davis of the FVPF.

The month's activities concluded Oct. 20 with the moving presentation "Triumph: To Achieve Victory, to Survive," where MGH employees read anonymous, first-person accounts, stories and poems from survivors of intimate partner abuse and their families, friends and supporters.

"The MGH has dedicated itself to improving our health care response to survivors of domestic violence," says Bonnie Zimmer, MSW, HAVEN program director and chair of the DVWG. "During this month, the MGH joined other organizations across the nation to help shed light on this significant social problem that often has devastating public health consequences."