Center for Violence Prevention & Recovery Programs

About Our Programs and Services

Private, Confidential, and Free Programs

We offer a range of services and can help you plan for safety, access safe housing, talk about your relationship and your options, and even offer training sessions for your organization.

All services and programs are private, confidential and free. Please call us at 617-667-8141 if you would like more information.

All of our direct service programs are:

Available to everyone of any culture, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, and religion;
Available in multiple languages through BIDMC interpreters;
Primarily offered in-person at sites in Boston, and can be accessed by telephone.

Advocacy & Crisis Intervention

There are a wide range of advocacy, crisis intervention and recovery services for survivors of interpersonal and community violence. The advocates can help:

Design a plan for leaving an abusive relationship and establishing safety in your life.
Obtain a protective order, as well as accompany you to court for additional support.
Assist in accessing services and resources from other agencies including housing search agencies.

If you have been sexually assaulted, the center will provide you with 24-hour emergency room services, including comprehensive medical treatment and crisis intervention for emotional trauma. In our emergency room you will have the opportunity to speak with a rape crisis counselor, as well as a trained advocate who can inform you of your rights and options.

For more information on how we can help victims of:

Please call us at 617-667-8141 if you would like more information or want to schedule an appointment. Also visit our resources page for information on community resources and services.

Counseling Services & Support Groups

Mindfulness and Meditation Group looks at topics that tend to be present in the lives of trauma survivors and how the practice of mindfulness and meditation can improve your quality of life. Co-facilitated with Spiritual Care staff, the group addresses issues such as Hyper-vigilance; Fear & Anger; Difficulty with Relationships; Happiness and Contentment. Please contact Simone Charpentier or Lisa LaChance, LICSW.

Cultivating Resilience Group (8 weeks) is an 8-week group for advocates working in the field of interpersonal violence. Learn how to recognize the signs of vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress and burnout. With the support of colleagues, build your skills to stay in the work by tapping into your own resilience and accessing professional and organizational support. Please contact Jo-Anne Ochalla.

Gardening Group is a weekly drop-in group that supports female identified survivors of trauma in their healing journey through connecting with nature as well as other survivors. Members learn new gardening skills and have an opportunity to take things home. No prior experience necessary and all supplies are provided free of charge. Please call 617-667-8141 (group meets on a schedule for the summer and fall).

Survivor Leadership Collective is a group of survivors dedicated to working individual and collectively in the community on issues of violence. For more information, please contact Jo-Anne Ochalla, LICSW.

Please note that all groups are offered free of charge. For more information contact the Center for Violence Prevention and Recovery at 617-667-8141.

Homicide Service

The Homicide Support Services Project (hssp) is a unique collaboration between the center for violence prevention and recovery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Bowdoin Street Health Center and the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute. We are working together to help support people and communities touched by homicide.

Our program provides an array of supportive services to family members, friends and community members who have lost a loved one to homicide. services include:

in-hospital and community-based acute crisis response
on-going individual and family counseling support groups
criminal justice support, advocacy, and accompaniment
community/school based Health, Hope, and Healing Circles
community events
service coordination between agencies

Services are offered at the following locations:

BIDMC East Campus: 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston MA
Bowdoin Street Health Center: 230 Bowdoin Street, Dorchester, MA
The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute: 1452 Dorchester Ave, Dorchester, MA

*All locations are accessible by public transportation. Our primary population is the Boston neighborhoods, but we can see people out of the area. All cultures are served and BIDMC interpreters are available in multiple languages.

For referrals, please call 617-667-8141.

For immediate assistance, call 617-667-4700, (pager ID 31389).

Trainings

Staff from the Center for Violence Prevention and Recovery are available to provide trainings on issues related to interpersonal violence. We will tailor the length and content of any training to meet the specific needs of your unit, department, or agency.

Trainings may include but are not limited to:

Case-Based Consultation
Interpersonal Violence 101: An overview of the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, child/family/elder abuse. Mandatory reporting statutes are explained and referrals and resources are provided.
How to Assess for Interpersonal Violence
Safety Planning for Patients and Providers
Providing Care to Sexual Assault Survivors
Pregnancy & Battering
Working with Children who Witness Domestic Violence
Assessing Risk for Family Violence
JCAHO Interpersonal Violence Standards & Safe-Bed Guidelines
Secondary Traumatic Stress

Materials on interpersonal violence, including posters and program brochures, are also available for you to post in your department or agency.

For more information on trainings and/or to order materials, please call 617-667-8141.