Co-location of specialized mental health services in an intimate partner violence advocacy organization.

Historically, services for intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors predominantly focused on advocacy, resulting in service gaps for IPV survivors who need mental health care. When mental health services are offered, there are several barriers that limit treatment engagement. To address these gaps, a novel, integrated care model, comprised of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and social workers were embedded into the five New York City (NYC) Family Justice Centers (FJCs), to provide free co-located mental health care to adult survivors of IPV alongside the existing advocacy, social, and legal services. This article reports on the evaluation of the Health + Hospitals Family Justice Center Mental Health Program (FJCMHP) via: (i) seven focus groups with FJC clients and staff and Health + Hospitals (H+H) clinicians; and (ii) de-identified online surveys completed by 53 FJC clients and 130 FJC staff. Clients reported increased access to care, with 67.2% seeing a mental health clinician within two weeks of a request, and improvement in symptom relief, including sleep, mood, irritability, reduction in thoughts of self-harm, improved relationships with others, especially their children, and improved self-efficacy in parenting skills. Additionally, FJC staff reported satisfaction with the FJCMHP model, and increased understanding of clients' mental health needs. The evaluation results highlight the feasibility and tolerability of integrated mental health services in a non-medical setting. The evaluation also identifies areas for improvement, as well as the strengths of an integrated, multidisciplinary mental health service program for IPV survivors co-located in a non-medical, advocacy setting.

The Tohoku Theater Project in Postdisaster Japan: An Exemplar for Addressing Community Mental Health in the Context of Disaster.

The Tohoku Theater Project was completed 2 years after the natural and nuclear disasters in Tohoku, Japan, on March 11, 2011. It employed the dramatic arts to support the healing process, promote resilience, and increase dialogue and understanding about mental health among individuals who were directly affected by the disasters. The four performances fostered important discussions regarding the psychological impact of the Tohoku disasters. Participants (N=143) found the theater performance effective at facilitating discussion, increasing empathy, and enhancing mental health knowledge, coping, and resilience. The performances provided critical information about access to services; many participants reported that they had not known where to seek help for mental health prior to their involvement with the Tohoku Theater Project. Lessons learned may inform community-based strategies that promote mental health and healing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health disasters.