WIT’s Community Education Coordinator Zoe Nesin recently trained 50 Department of Human Services (DHS) workers on the dynamics of domestic violence, substance abuse among women, and the linkages between them. DHS workers often encounter domestic violence and substance in their line of work, and it is important that they understand how each functions (both domestic violence and substance abuse are influenced by childhood trauma and intergenerational cycles of violence), how they reinforce each other, and how to use harm reduction and provide trauma-informed, empowering support to clients.
To that end, our Community Education Coordinator provided them with information about local resources and tools to help their clients with safety planning and rebuilding social connections, and discussed the common conflicts and obstacles for women who are experiencing domestic violence and who are in recovery, as well as issues surrounding an abusive partner in recovery and how that affects the dynamics of the abuse. Our goal is to provide this training for all the city’s social welfare workers and ensure that women and families are receiving trauma-informed support.