Trustees of Boston University

Strength at Home National Implementation

Location: National

Individuals suffering from PTSD have three times higher the risk for domestic violence, and approximately one-third of veterans seeking treatment for PTSD report that they have engaged in physical IPV in the previous year. Strength at Home, launched with Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs backing, reduces domestic violence in military families. Strength at Home intervenes to address conditions specific to veterans, provide tools to maintain a healthy relationship and mitigate challenges before family interactions become criminal offenses, which both hurt family members and can eliminate eligibility for VA benefits. Strength at Home employs a cognitive behavioral intervention and is the first evidence-based program to reduce both physical and psychological intimate partner violence. Bob Woodruff Foundation funding has been fundamental to implementing this program, which is now integrating into the VA. This 2018 grant will permit further expansion of the Strength at Home program by training and providing monthly consult to 10 Regional Trainers who will train dozens of clinicians at 10 new geographically interspersed VA implementation sites.