Domestic Violence & Mental Health 
Collaboration Project 
Revised September 2010 
STRATEGIC PLAN 
King County, WA 

Strategic Plan – DV/Collaboration Project – Page 2 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
Introduction & Overview……………………………………………………………. 3 
Planning ……………………………………………………………………………………. 5 
Vision, Mission, and Focus………………………………………………………….. 7 
Needs and Strengths Assessment Overview ………………………………... 8 
Methodology and Participation………………………………………….. 9 
Summary of Key Findings………………………………………………….. 12 
Short Term Initiatives………………………………………………………………… 16 
Initiative # 1 – Welcoming Environments…………………………... 19 
Initiative # 2 - Knowledge…………………………………………………. 21 
Initiative # 3 – Issue Identification & Response………………….. 23 
Initiative # 4 - Collaboration……………………………………………… 26 
Long Term Plans………………………………………………………………………… 30 
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………… 32 
Glossary…………………………………………………………………………………….. 33 
Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………. 38 
Questions…………………………………………………………………………………... 39 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 3 
Introduction & Overview 
In October of 2007 the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice 
awarded a three year grant to the Domestic Violence and Mental Health Collaboration 
Project. The purpose of the grant is to create sustainable systems change for survivors 
of domestic violence who have disabilities and/or who are Deaf. 
The Domestic Violence & Mental Health Collaboration Project is working to create that 
change for survivors with mental health concerns. To accomplish this the project is 
working collaboratively with representatives from local government, a county-wide 
domestic violence coalition, a community-based domestic violence organization, a 
community-based mental health organization, and two organizations that provide 
mental health, chemical dependency, and domestic violence services. The latter two 
organizations specialize in services for the Spanish-speaking immigrant community and 
the LGBT community respectively. The six project partners are: 
The City of Seattle Human Services Department, Domestic Violence and 
Sexual Assault Prevention Division which works to keep all adults and children safe 
from domestic violence and sexual assault. The City of Seattle helps victims and 
survivors create safe and violence-free lives, and heal from the trauma of abuse or 
sexual assault. The City of Seattle is represented by a Planning and Development 
Specialist. 
Consejo Counseling and Referral Service which provides behavioral 
health, chemical dependency and domestic violence services to immigrants from Latin 
America who speak Spanish as their primary language. Consejo provides services across 
the state of Washington. Consejo is represented by staff from their domestic violence 
and mental health programs. 
The King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence 
(KCCADV) which works to end domestic violence by facilitating collective action for 
social change. In county-wide public policy and education efforts, the Coalition provides 

Strategic Plan 
leadership on behalf of community 
Coalition strives to represent the diverse interests of victims and survivors of domestic 
violence. KCCADV is represented by their Executiv 
Coordinator. 
New Beginnings (NB) 
battered women and their children including a 24 
counseling services, community 
housing and a social change program. 
including a chemical dependency / domestic violence support group. New Beginnings is 
represented by their Executive Director. 
Seattle Counselin 
community mental health agency for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender 
persons in the United States, which provides mental health care, chemical dependency 
treatment, domestic and sexual violence advocacy, an 
works with other King County providers to advocate on behalf of LGBT clients. SCS is 
represented by their Deputy Director. 
Sound Mental Health 
recovery-oriented, community 
services including crisis intervention, rehabilitation, support, education, outpatient 
therapy, and residential programs. 
County receive services each year. Sound Mental Health is represented by their Director 
of Child and Family Services and a Manager from their Quality Assurance Department 
Four of the partner organizations provide direct services. This 
Beginnings, Seattle Counseling Service, and Sound Mental Health. Two of the partner 
organizations, the City of Seattle and the King County Coalition Against Domestic 
Violence, do not provide direct services. The changes outlined in 
primarily address creating changes at the partner organizations that do offer direct 
services. However, the City of Seattle and the Coalition will play integral roles in 
facilitating and sustaining these changes. 
– DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 4 
community-based victim service agencies and their allies. The 
Executive Director and by the Project 
which provides an array of services for 
24-hour help line, advocacy 
community-based support groups, emergency shelter, transitional 
New Beginnings also offers specialized services 
Counseling Service (SCS), the first and oldest 
and HIV/AIDS services. SCS also 
(SMH) which provides a full continuum of 
community-based mental health and drug/alcohol treatment 
Approximately 15,000 clients throughout King 
includes Consejo, New 
this strategic plan 
e advocacy-based 
d Department. 

Strategic Plan 
Planning 
This strategic plan is the final step and cumulative result of a comprehensive planning 
process supported by this grant. 
grant. Implementation is the second phase. 
graphic below. It began with relationship building with the project partners and the 
creation of a collaborative charter. The partners then worked together to narrow the 
focus of our project. Once our focus was clear, we developed a plan for an in 
needs and strengths assessment of our partner organizations. 
assessment and were successful in learning a great deal about what is working well in 
our partner organizations and where there is room for improvement. We shared these 
lessons in a report that summarized our 
report informed our strategic planning. 
Our strategic planning process began i 
together for a strategic planning retreat. The retreat was 
Accessing Safety Initiative of the Vera Institute of Justice. At the retreat we utilized the 
key findings and recommendations from the 
select initiatives for the implementation phase of the grant and 
after the grant period has ended. At subsequent project meetings we refined these 
initiatives and our plans for implementing t 
This report provides an overview of our strategic plan. 
initiatives. Each initiative has associated activities that are outlined step by step. 
short term initiatives will be completed during the duration of this grant period. They 
will begin May 1, 2009 and will continue through 
Relationship Building 
Collaboration Charter 
NarrowingOur Focus 
Needs & Strengths Assessment 
Plan, Process, Report 
Strategic Planning 
– DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 5 
The planning process is the first of two phases of the 
The planning process is outlined in 
We conducted the 
essons key findings and recommendations. 
in March of 2009 when our project partners came 
facilitated by staff from the 
needs and strengths assessment report to 
for our work together 
them. 
The plan consists of 
December 31, 2010. These short term 
- 
the 
depth 
That 
three 
Our 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 6 
initiatives will provide a strong foundation for our long term work together and have 
been designed to create sustainable change. Our long term work together will begin 
January 1, 2011 and will continue indefinitely. 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 7 
Vision, Mission and Focus 
As part of our planning process we identified our project’s vision, mission, and focus. 
All of our work together is guided by these. 
Vision 
We envision that domestic violence, mental health, chemical dependency and related 
organizations will be able to provide quality services to survivors of domestic violence 
who have disabilities in a manner that embraces their diversity. 
Mission 
The mission of the Domestic Violence and Mental Health Collaboration Project is to 
facilitate sustainable systems change within and among the participating organizations 
to better meet the mental health, safety and self-determination needs of survivors of 
domestic violence who have been traumatized or whose existing mental health 
problems have been exacerbated by domestic violence. The participating organizations 
will strive to make services more accessible, holistic, and integrated, to work more 
collaboratively together, and to effectively utilize reciprocal consultation. 
Focus 
Since our partner organizations all provide either domestic violence or mental health 
services, or both, and since we have identified a significant need for service 
improvements and internal changes related to survivors with mental health care needs, 
we decided to focus our efforts on creating change for survivors of domestic violence 
who: 
have a disabling mental health problem as a result of trauma or whose existing 
mental health problems1 have been exacerbated by domestic violence. 
AND 
are accessing services at Consejo Counseling and Referral Service, New 
Beginnings, Seattle Counseling Service or Sound Mental Health. 2 
We recognize that these survivors will include individuals with a wide range of 
additional disabilities. 
1 When we refer to “mental health problems” we are including struggles with chemical dependency. 
2 Please note: The City of Seattle and KCCADV do not offer direct service. 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 8 
Needs and Strengths Assessment Overview 
The Domestic Violence and Mental Health Collaboration Project had five primary goals 
for our needs and strengths assessment. The first two goals focused on what we hoped 
to learn from domestic violence survivors. The last three goals focused on what we 
hoped to learn from service providers. Working on these goals enabled us to obtain the 
information necessary to develop a strategic plan to guide us in improving services for 
survivors of domestic violence with mental health concerns and in strengthening 
collaborative relationships. 
Assessment Goals 
1. Learn from domestic violence survivors with mental health concerns: 
A. What is working well for them regarding services at partner agencies including: 

 the accessibility of services 

 the quality and responsiveness of services, and 

 the cultural competency of services 
B. What gaps and barriers exist for them concerning services at partner agencies 
including: 

 the accessibility of services 

 the quality and responsiveness of services, and 

 the cultural competency of services 
2. Learn from partner organizations: 
A. What contributes to agencies’ ability to provide quality services to domestic 
violence survivors with mental health concerns? 
B. Where are there barriers to the ability of agencies to provide quality services to 
domestic violence survivors with mental health concerns? 
C. What opportunities exist for change in our organizations? 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 9 
Methodology and Participation 
We utilized a combination of data collection methods including focus groups, an 
Appreciative Inquiry Summit, and online surveys. Participants included board members 
and management, as well as people providing and receiving domestic violence, mental 
health, and chemical dependency services. 
Focus Groups 
Separate focus groups were held for service providers and service recipients. Service 
recipients who participated were asked to participate based on the location and type of 
services they were receiving (e.g. mental health services at Sound Mental Health) and 
not on the basis of identifying as both a survivor of domestic violence and someone with 
mental health or chemical dependency concerns. While participants fit into at least one 
of these categories, they did not necessarily fit into both. Not surprisingly though, many 
participants did share that they were struggling with both issues. Service providers 
participated in groups based on where they worked (e.g. the staff of Consejo’s Mental 
Health Program participated in a group together.) 
Participants in the service recipient focus groups came from diverse backgrounds. They 
varied in age with most participants being 22 to 59 years old. Most were female, but we 
also had input from people who are male and trans / transgender. The majority 
identified as heterosexual, but a significant percentage identified as Lesbian, Queer, 
Bisexual, or Gay. Over one-third of respondents speak Spanish, 62% speak English, and 
4% speak another language as their primary language. Participants primarily identified 
as White and Latino/Hispanic, but other ethnic/racial groups were represented as well. 
Nearly three-fourths of respondents are parents. 
Since Seattle Counseling Service is focused on meeting the needs of people who are 
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer, and since Consejo Counseling and 
Referral Service is focused on meeting the needs of immigrants who are Spanish 
speaking, these groups were a particular focus of our assessment. As marginalized 
communities, their needs often are not adequately addressed when evaluating services 
for survivors of domestic violence with mental health concerns or with other types of 
disabilities. We hope to improve services for all survivors with mental health concerns 
by focusing particular attention on these culturally specific groups. If organizations can 
meet their needs, then we believe they will be better equipped to meet the needs of 
other marginalized communities, as well as the needs of more mainstream 
communities. 

Strategic Plan 
Appreciative Inquiry Summit 
We utilized the organizational change philosophy of Appreciative Inquiry 
data from service providers at a day long summit meeting. The service providers who 
attended represented multiple levels within our partner organizations as well as key 
community stakeholders. AI is the cooperative search for the best in peopl 
organizations. AI involves asking unconditionally positive questions that strengthen a 
system’s capacity to apprehend, anticipate, and heighten positive potential. At the AI 
Summit participants interviewed each other about accessibility, faci 
working across organizations. 
Online Surveys 
We asked service providers and board members from Consejo, New Beginnings, Seattle 
Counseling Service and Sound Mental Health to complete online surveys. We surveyed 
board members to learn more about their organization’s readiness for change and their 
processes for creating change. We surveyed service providers about their experiences 
with providing services to survivors with mental health concerns, the challenges they 
have faced, and their ideas for improving services. 36% of people who received the 
survey responded. They represent a variety of types of professionals within their fields 
from top management to support staff, from people just starting in the field all the way 
up to those who have been in the field for over two decades. 
We had excellent participation from all levels of all of our partner organizations. The 
graphic below illustrates the participation in each of our data collection methods. 
Focus Groups 
22 Groups 
102 Service Providers 
95 Service Recipients 
– DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 10 
facilitating change, and 
rn eir AI Summit 
32 Representatives from 
Partner Organizations 
8 Community 
Stakeholders 
3 Vera Institute of 
Justice Staff 
1 Office on Violence 
Against Women Staff 
Online Surveys 
3 Surveys 
40 Board Members 
30 DV Service Providers 
103 MH Service Providers 
(AI) to collect 
people and their 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 11 
We had a total of 414 units of input. Each survey response, summit participant, and 
focus group participant is considered one unit of input. However, this is not an 
unduplicated count. Some service providers participated in two or even all three data 
collection methods. We were impressed with the generosity of the participants both in 
terms of the time they spent providing us with information and with their openness in 
giving us clear and honest feedback. As a result of their efforts, we were able to 
compile an extensive record of very useful findings. 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 12 
Summary of Key Findings 
The Project Coordinator reviewed all of the data that the collaborative agreed to 
disclose within the framework of the goals for the needs and strengths assessment (see 
page 8) and drafted a summary of the key findings that met the following criteria: 
• They fit within the scope of the project 
• They addressed the goals of the project 
• They were common themes across the partner organizations 
• They were identified as important issues by the participants in the needs and 
strengths assessment 
The Project Coordinator reviewed the key findings with the partners and refined them 
with the assistance of the partners and staff from the Vera Institute of Justice. They are 
summarized on the pages that follow. 
We found that the data primarily addressed three key questions about services for 
survivors of domestic violence with mental health concerns at our partner 
organizations: 
1. Who can get in? 
2. Do needs get met? 
3. How can we do better? 
Question # 1 – Who can get in? 
This area of our findings addresses which survivors with mental health concerns are able 
to utilize services at our partner organizations. As the pyramid below illustrates, to 
address the question, “Who can get in?” we must first assess the foundational issue of 
capacity. We can then look at accessibility, and finally, screening and assessment*. 
Each of these issues builds upon the ones beneath it to determine who gets in. 

Strategic Plan 
Finding # 1A - Capacity 
Demands on the partner organizations are so high that it is extremely challenging for 
them to address the complex needs of survivors of domestic violence with mental 
health concerns. Funders enable providers to offer services, but some of their 
requirements and policies can inadvertently act as barriers to survivors getting their 
needs met. 
Finding # 1B – Accessibility 
Each partner organization is strong in particular areas of accessibility, but they each 
have room for improvement in other areas of acc 
welcoming services in the community at large makes it much harder for service 
recipients to get their needs met, and puts more strain on the service providers who will 
help them. The environment 
Finding # 1C - Screening & Assessment 
A one size fits all approach to screening and assessment does not meet the needs of 
many service recipients. 
*We used the term “screening and assessment” while conducting our needs and 
strengths assessment and in our findings report. We have since decided that these 
terms may be misleading because they are defined differently by domestic violence and 
mental health professionals and have different mean 
which they are used. We have decided to now use the term “issue identification” to 
describe the process by which service recipients are asked about their experiences with 
domestic violence or their concerns about mental health. 
– DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 13 
nts n accessibility. The lack of accessible and 
in which services are provided makes a difference. 
meanings depending on the context in 
ich IN 
Screening & 
Assessment 
Accessibility 
Capacity 

Strategic Plan 
Quality 
Services 
Question # 2 – Do needs get met? 
If the conditions are right for survivors with mental health concerns to be able to get 
services (there is sufficient capacity, services are accessible, and they have been 
screened in to the appropriate services), then will they be able to get their 
violence and mental health related needs met? 
As the Venn diagram below illustrates, 
services and collaboration overlap. 
Finding # 2A- Service Quality 
Service recipients want integrated, quality services that support them as a whole 
person. In order for services to be well integrated, referral processes 
improved. 
Services need to be strengthened in order to better meet the community’s needs. 
Finding # 2B – Collaboration 
Philosophical differences, trust and bias concerns, confusion about roles, and 
confidentiality and capacity issues can be 
violence and mental health service providers. 
Question # 3– How can we do better? 
This area acknowledges that we have room for improvement and addresses how we can 
create change. 
As the puzzle pieces below illustrate, we can do better by piecing together our 
strengths, knowledge, good communication, and readiness for change. 
– DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 14 
Collaboration 
t we found that needs get met when quality 
Needs 
Met 
need to be 
barriers to collaboration between domestic 
ustrate, domestic 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 15 
Knowledge 
Readiness for 
Change 
Communication 
Strengths 
Doing 
Better = 
Finding # 3A – Sharing Strengths 
Partner organizations each have valuable expertise and strengths that could benefit the 
other partner organizations. 
Finding # 3B – Knowledge 
Service providers need more training, more consultation, and better policies in order to 
improve services for survivors of domestic violence with mental health concerns. 
Finding # 3C – Communication 
Communication limitations within organizations and between organizations negatively 
impact both service providers and service recipients, but there are times when 
communication works very well. 
Finding # 3D - Readiness for Change 
Organizational leadership is ready for change and ways to facilitate successful change 
have been identified. 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 16 
Short Term Initiatives 
The findings outlined in the previous pages all are significant, important and worthy of 
addressing. However, our collaborative will not be able to implement initiatives 
corresponding to each key finding due to limitations on our resources (time, staffing, 
and funding.) Rather than attempt to address everything superficially, our collaborative 
partners narrowed the scope of our change initiatives so that we would be able to make 
significant changes that could be sustained over time. 
We developed a set of guiding principles to assist us in selecting our change initiatives. 
We decided that each initiative needs to: 
• Fall within the grant parameters 
• Fulfill our mission and be grounded in our vision and values 
• Promote sustainable systems change 
• Enhance the ways our partner organizations work together 
• Be focused equally on changes at domestic violence and at mental health 
programs 
• Respond to what we learned in our needs and strengths assessment 
• Be feasible given our resources 
With those guidelines in mind, we selected four initiatives to focus on in the short term, 
the period remaining in our grant (May 1, 2009 – September 30, 2010.) All of the 
initiatives are focused on improving services for survivors of domestic violence with 
mental health concerns. The initiatives are: 
1. Welcoming Environments 
Integrate understanding of best practices in creating welcoming environments 
2. Knowledge 
Enhance knowledge of domestic violence, mental health and related issues 
among staff of partner agencies on an ongoing basis 
3. Issue Identification & Response 
Strengthen issue identification and response among partner agencies 
4. Collaboration 
Increase collaboration and communication among partner agencies 

Strategic Plan 
As the graphic below illustrates, each of these initiatives is interconnected and centers 
on our goal of improving services for survivors of domes 
concerns. Environments need to be welcoming so that service recipients feel they can 
access services. Knowledge is a necessary component of all the initiatives. 
Strengthening issue identification and response is 
people’s needs and direct them 
increase collaboration and communicate more effectively with each other 
able to meet the complex needs of service recipients. 
On the following pages we will describe each of these initiatives in greater detail. 
Collaboration
– DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 17 
domestic violence with mental health 
essential to be able to identify 
to the most helpful services. Partner agencies 
Improved 
Services 
Welcoming 
Environments 
Knowledge 
Issue 
Identification 
& Response 
tic need to 
in order to be 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 18 
Implementation Roles 
Most of the initiatives in this plan are focused on making and institutionalizing changes 
and improvements in the delivery of services to survivors of domestic violence who have 
mental health concerns. The City of Seattle Human Service Department, Domestic 
Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Division and the King County Coalition Against 
Domestic Violence do not provide direct services. Therefore, most of the changes 
outlined in these initiatives are not applicable to them and they will not be 
implementing them. However, they will use their influence to take what is learned 
through the implementation of these initiatives to promote improvements in service 
delivery in other agencies in our community. 
KCCADV will be providing leadership to facilitate the implementation of all of the 
initiatives. The Project Coordinator employed by KCCADV will convene all of the work 
groups needed for implementation and will work with the partner agencies to keep the 
plan on track with the timeline. The Project Coordinator will also continue to facilitate 
collaborative meetings and will set up the online sharing tool discussed in Activity # 4B. 
A Planning and Development Specialist for the City’s Domestic Violence and Sexual 
Assault Prevention Division will participate in and assist with staffing the work groups, as 
needed. 
If any of the recommendations that arise from Initiative # 1 (Welcoming Environments) 
are applicable to The City of Seattle Human Service Department, Domestic Violence and 
Sexual Assault Prevention Division and/or the King County Coalition Against Domestic 
Violence, then they will work to integrate those recommendations. In addition, key staff 
will be encouraged to participate in training and relationship building activities as is 
appropriate to their roles. 
In the description of the initiatives in the following pages, references to “each partner 
agency” refer to each partner agency that provides direct services. These agencies are: 
Consejo Counseling and Referral Service 
New Beginnings 
Seattle Counseling Service 
Sound Mental Health 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 19 
Initiative # 1 – Welcoming Environments 
Integrate understanding of best practices in creating welcoming environments 
We learned in our needs and strengths assessment that the environment in which 
services are provided makes a difference. As a result, we will be working collaboratively 
to create more welcoming environments for service recipients. We want all of our 
partners to offer services in an environment that embraces the diversity of the service 
recipients and enables them to feel comfortable accessing services there. We will 
provide training to our partners on strategies for making their agencies more welcoming 
to survivors of domestic violence with mental health concerns and we will implement 
changes based on the recommendations shared. We have one activity planned for this 
initiative. 
Activity # 1A - Hold consultative visit with expert, share expertise between 
agencies, and implement changes 
A work group will be convened with representatives from each partner agency. The 
group will determine the goals, purpose and format for a consultative visit with an 
expert on universal design for people with psychiatric disabilities. The expert will be a 
consultant provided by the Vera Institute of Justice. We will ask the expert to train us 
on best practices for creating welcoming environments for survivors with mental health 
concerns. We will ask the expert to walk us through a location at one of the domestic 
violence agencies and at one of the mental health agencies to demonstrate for us how 
to look for areas to improve. The work group will then walk through the other two 
partner agencies utilizing the information learned from the expert to look for potential 
areas of improvement. Service recipients will be invited to participate in the walk 
through at the agency where they are receiving services to provide their input. 
Following the training with the expert, each agency will develop a list of 
recommendations based on their own expertise on creating welcoming environments. 
They will share these recommendations at a relationship building event. Each partner 
agency will select from the ideas offered by the expert and by the other partner 
agencies and will implement the ideas that are the best fit and most feasible for their 
agency and the people they serve. 
Leadership for Activity # 1A 
The work group for this activity will include representatives from: 
The City of Seattle Human Services Department, DV & SA Prevention Division 
Consejo Counseling and Referral Service 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 20 
The King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence 
New Beginnings 
Seattle Counseling Service 
Sound Mental Health 
Anticipated Results / Sustainable Systems Change 
We anticipate that learning about universal design for people with psychiatric 
disabilities and working to create more welcoming environments for survivors with 
mental health concerns will result in service recipients from a wide range of 
backgrounds feeling comfortable accessing services. Since partner agencies will have 
learned from an expert in this area how to look for the need for improvements and how 
to implement changes, they will be able to continue this work on an ongoing basis. 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 21 
Initiative # 2 – Knowledge 
Enhance knowledge of domestic violence, mental health, and related issues 
among staff of partner agencies on an ongoing basis 
We learned in our needs and strengths assessment that service providers need more 
training in order to improve services for survivors of domestic violence with mental 
health concerns. As a result, we will be working collaboratively to enhance the 
knowledge of service providers at our partner agencies. We will provide basic training 
to domestic violence advocates on mental health and to mental health service providers 
on domestic violence. We will also provide training to both professions on strategies for 
making their agencies more welcoming to survivors of domestic violence with mental 
health concerns. We have two activities planned for this initiative. 
Activity # 2A - Develop basic training on domestic violence, mental health, and 
related issues 
We will convene a work group with representatives from the fields of domestic violence 
and mental health. This group will utilize the findings from our needs and strengths 
assessment and their own experience to determine what type of basic training is 
needed for each field to improve services for survivors of domestic violence with mental 
health concerns. They will research existing training curricula on domestic violence and 
on mental health and select courses or components of courses that will work best for 
our partner organizations. The group will combine the best elements of the available 
curricula with new content that the group will create. 
The work group will also research e-learning tools and services to determine the best 
format for delivering the training. As much as possible, the basic training will be put in 
an accessible, e-learning format, so that it can be utilized at the convenience of service 
providers and without the need of trainers. Service providers will be able to access the 
training via their work computers or they can participate in the training as a group by 
projecting the training onto a large screen. 
The training will be submitted to the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. 
Department of Justice for approval and will be revised, if needed. 
Leadership for Activity # 2A 
The City of Seattle Human Services Department, Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault 
Division, the King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and Seattle Counseling 
Service will participate in the work group for this activity. 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 22 
Activity # 2B - Integrate basic training into staff orientations at partner agencies 
The work group that created the basic training will be expanded to include 
representatives from each of the partner agencies. This group will seek buy in from the 
collaborative and from each agency for the basic training. Each agency will then agree 
to adopt the training as part of their staff orientation and will take the steps necessary 
to integrate the training into the orientation. The work group will work with each 
agency to plan the launch of the training for current staff. The training will be provided 
to current staff at the partner organizations. It will then be integrated into staff 
orientation at each organization, so that all new staff will receive the same information. 
The work group will evaluate how the training is working. 
Leadership for Activity # 2B 
The work group for Activity # 2A will be expanded to include representatives from: 
Consejo Counseling and Referral Service 
New Beginnings 
Seattle Counseling Service 
Sound Mental Health 
Anticipated Results / Sustainable Systems Change 
We anticipate that having a basic understanding of domestic violence and mental health 
will enable service providers to be more responsive to the needs of survivors with 
mental health concerns and will prepare them to work more effectively with providers 
in the other partner organizations. We believe that this initiative will result in improved 
services. 
By integrating basic training into the staff orientations of each partner organization, we 
believe that increased understanding and responsiveness to the needs of survivors with 
mental health concerns will be sustained over time. Since this training will be provided 
to new staff in an e-learning format, it will always be available and will continually be 
offered. We believe that the increased knowledge resulting from this training will 
naturally lead to a desire to make additional improvements and will result in ongoing 
systems change. 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 23 
Initiative # 3 – Issue Identification & Response 
Strengthen issue identification and response among partner agencies 
We learned in our needs and strengths assessment that the process for identifying and 
responding to the need for domestic violence or mental health services at each of our 
partner agencies was not working well for many survivors with mental health concerns. 
As a result, we will be working collaboratively to strengthen each agency’s ability to 
identify and respond to those needs. This will include developing a tool each agency can 
use and a process for using the tool. We will also develop response and referral 
protocols, so that each agency can strengthen their ability to meet the identified needs 
and so that we can work more effectively together to meet the needs. Service providers 
will be trained on how to do all of this and the collaborative will assist each agency in 
implementing the changes. We have five activities planned for this initiative. 
Activity # 3A - Develop issue identification tools 
We will convene a work group with representatives from the fields of domestic violence 
and mental health. The work group will review current practices at the partner agencies 
regarding identifying the need for domestic violence and/or mental health services. The 
work group will also review best practices, as well as relevant federal and state laws 
regarding rights for people with disabilities. The group will then develop a tool domestic 
violence programs can use to identify the need for mental health services and a tool 
mental health programs can use to identify the need for domestic violence services. 
The group will also provide guidance on when and how to use these tools. The tools will 
be piloted with service recipients to ensure that it is effective. 
The tools will be submitted to the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department 
of Justice for approval and will be revised, if needed. 
Leadership for Activity # 3A 
The King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sound Mental Health will 
participate in the work group for this activity. 
Activity # 3B - Integrate issue identification tool into partner agencies’ existing 
materials 
The work group that created the issue identification tools will be expanded to include 
representatives from each of the partner agencies. This group will seek buy in from the 
collaborative and from each agency for the tools. Each agency will then determine how 
to best utilize the tools. Once the response and referral protocols have been approved 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 24 
and staff have received training on how to utilize the tools and the protocols, the tools 
will be integrated into each agency’s materials and staff will begin using it. 
Leadership for Activity # 3B 
The work group for this activity will include representatives from: 
Consejo Counseling and Referral Service 
New Beginnings 
Seattle Counseling Service 
Sound Mental Health 
Activity # 3C - Develop response and referral protocols 
The work group for Activity # 3B will also work on Activity # 3C. This group will assist 
each agency in developing response and referral protocols to ensure a quality response 
when needs are identified. They will begin their work by sharing the release of 
information processes that each agency uses. They will then work on developing the 
new protocols including procedures to address safety issues for survivors when their 
current or former abusive partner is utilizing services at the same agency where they are 
a service recipient. Agencies will share their protocols with each other and assist each 
other in creating the best protocols possible. Each agency will then approve the 
response and referral protocols created for their agency. 
Leadership for Activity # 3C 
The work group for this activity will include representatives from: 
Consejo Counseling and Referral Service 
New Beginnings 
Seattle Counseling Service 
Sound Mental Health 
Activity # 3D - Train agency staff on issue identification and response protocols 
The work group for Activity # 3B and # 3C will also work on # 3D. The group will develop 
training and related materials to strengthen service providers’ skills in identifying 
domestic violence and mental health needs and to teach them how to effectively 
implement the new issue identification tools and the response and referral protocols. 
The training will be provided to current staff at the partner agencies. It will then be 
integrated into staff orientation at each agency, so that all new staff will receive the 
same information. 
Leadership for Activity # 3D 
The work group for this activity will include representatives from: 
Consejo Counseling and Referral Service 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 25 
New Beginnings 
Seattle Counseling Service 
Sound Mental Health 
Activity # 3E - Implement issue identification and response protocols 
The work group for Activity # 3B, # 3C and # 3D will also work on # 3E. They will arrange 
for the necessary materials to be printed and distributed to the partner agencies and 
each agency will begin using the new tools and protocols. The work group will evaluate 
how the training is working and changes will be made as needed. 
Leadership for Activity # 3E 
The work group for this activity will include representatives from: 
Consejo Counseling and Referral Service 
New Beginnings 
Seattle Counseling Service 
Sound Mental Health 
Anticipated Results / Sustainable Systems Change 
We anticipate that survivors of domestic violence with mental health concerns will be 
able to have their need for domestic violence services recognized if they go to a mental 
health service provider and their need for mental health services recognized if they go 
do a domestic violence advocate for assistance. We anticipate that once their needs are 
identified they will be able to access the assistance they need at whichever of the 
partner agencies they have utilized or that they will be able to get the assistance they 
need through an effective referral. We believe that this initiative will result in improved 
services. 
By integrating training on issue identification and response into the staff orientations of 
each partner agency, we believe that increased understanding and responsiveness to 
the needs of survivors with mental health concerns will be sustained over time. We 
believe that the improvements made to referral processes will naturally lead to stronger 
collaborative relationships between providers and between the partner agencies. This 
will result in ongoing systems change. 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 26 
Initiative # 4 – Collaboration 
Increase collaboration and communication among partner agencies 
We learned in our needs and strengths assessment that our partner agencies are ready 
to create change and that they could benefit from better communication and more 
collaboration with the other partners. Each agency and each discipline has valuable 
expertise and strengths that could benefit the others. As a result of this, we will work 
collaboratively to support each other in making changes. We will share information 
among partner agencies so that we can more easily communicate with each other and 
better understand what each other has to offer. We will hold events where we can get 
to know each other better and where we can discuss the issues that impact all of us. 
We will create a liaison system that will facilitate better access and knowledge sharing 
between the partner agencies. Finally, we will develop a process for holding case 
reviews and we will put that process into action. We have five activities planned for this 
initiative. 
Activity # 4A - Foster a change orientation 
Directors at each of the partner agencies will meet semiannually to discuss 
implementation strategies and to share challenges and successes. The purpose of the 
meetings will be to foster a culture of change at each of the agencies and to learn from 
each other. The directors will also create memoranda of understanding (MOU’s) 
between the agencies to specify how they will work collaboratively together during the 
implementation phase and beyond. The MOU’s will also include agreements regarding 
information sharing, reciprocal consultation, case reviews, and the use of liaisons. Each 
agency will sign off on the MOU’s. 
Leadership for Activity # 4A 
The following people will participate in this activity: 
The Executive Director of Consejo Counseling and Referral Service 
The Executive Director of New Beginnings 
The Executive Director of Seattle Counseling Service 
The Chief Clinical Officer of Sound Mental Health 
Staff from the City of Seattle Human Services Department, Domestic Violence and 
Sexual Assault Prevention Division and the King County Coalition Against Domestic 
Violence will participate as needed. 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 27 
Activity # 4B - Share information 
The Project Coordinator will research options and select a tool for online information 
sharing. The Project Coordinator will then set up the online site to facilitate information 
sharing. The partners will post the following information on the site: 

 Contact information for key staff 

 Organizational charts 

 Eligibility criteria for services 

 Roles and responsibilities for each type of service provider 
The partners will be responsible for updating this information semiannually, so that it 
remains current and useful. After the implementation phase they will update the 
information based on the terms of the MOU each agency has signed. 
Leadership for Activity # 4B 
The Project Coordinator will provide leadership for this activity. A representative from 
each of the partner agencies will be responsible for posting and updating the 
information on the site. 
Activity # 4C – Build relationships 
To increase communication and understanding and to foster positive working 
relationships, each partner agency that provides direct services will host one 
relationship building event during the course of the implementation phase. The 
collaborative will determine the format for the events and will plan them. These could 
include lunch and learn sessions, tours, or other activities. 
The events will have the following topics: 
1. Strategic plan kickoff (implementing systems change) 
2. Creating welcoming environments (see Activity # 1A) 
3. Utilizing liaisons (see Activity # 4D) 
4. Collaborative successes and next steps (celebrating and sustaining systems 
change) 
Leadership for Activity # 4C 
The collaborative will provide the overall leadership for this activity, but each of the 
following agencies will host one of the relationship building events: 
Consejo Counseling and Referral Service 
New Beginnings 
Seattle Counseling Service 
Sound Mental Health 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 28 
Activity # 4D - Designate liaisons at each agency 
A work group will be convened with representatives from each partner agency. The 
group will determine a process for utilizing liaisons at each of the partner agencies that 
provide direct services. The purpose of the liaisons will be to increase access and 
understanding between partner organizations and to work together more effectively. 
Liaisons will be able to provide information about their agency’s services to other 
partner agencies and will be able to find out information about the partner agencies for 
the co-workers at their own agency. The liaisons will not be expected to provide 
consultation, but will help connect providers to the people who can best assist them. 
Each agency will select their own liaison or liaisons. An agreement about how the 
liaisons will be utilized will be part of the memoranda of understanding created as part 
of Activity # 4A. Service providers will learn about how to best utilize the liaisons at a 
relationship building event (see Activity # 4C.) After this event is held and after the basic 
training described in Activity # 2A is implemented the liaisons will begin their work. 
Since providers will have basic knowledge of domestic violence and mental health after 
the training, and an understanding of how to utilize the liaisons after the relationship 
building event, they will be better positioned to make effective use of the new system. 
Leadership for Activity # 4D 
The work group for this activity will include representatives from: 
Consejo Counseling and Referral Service 
New Beginnings 
Seattle Counseling Service 
Sound Mental Health 
Activity # 4E – Develop and deliver a case review process 
The work group from Activity # 4D will also work on this activity. The group will 
determine the need for and purpose of holding cross-disciplinary case reviews. The 
group will research existing models for case reviews and will create a process for 
conducting case reviews among the partner agencies. The group will get buy in for the 
process from the collaborative and from each agency. They will then plan for the first 
case review and begin holding them on a monthly basis. An agreement about holding 
case reviews will be part of the memoranda of understanding created as part of Activity 
# 4A. 
Leadership for Activity # 4E 
The work group for this activity will be the same as the work group for Activity # 4D. 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 29 
Anticipated Results / Sustainable Systems Change 
We anticipate that this initiative will result in increased communication and better 
understanding between providers, as well as increased understanding of and better 
services for survivors with mental health concerns. We anticipate that the changes 
resulting from this initiative will help both service providers and recipients feel better 
about the services offered at the partner agencies. 
The avenues for increased communication this initiative will create (information sharing, 
liaisons, and case reviews) will be sustained through the memoranda of understanding 
signed by each of the partner agencies. The relationship building events will have 
served as a good foundation for effective use of the liaisons. Providers will also be able 
to communicate more effectively as a result of the online information sharing that will 
be in place. The information sharing site will be easy to maintain on an ongoing basis 
because each organization will be responsible for updating their own information. We 
also expect that the opportunities for collaboration created by this initiative will 
naturally result in relationships that continue over time. 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 30 
Long Term Plans 
Our short term initiatives will provide a solid foundation for our ongoing work together. 
We have identified some important areas to address in the future to build on our 
increased knowledge, improved issue identification and response, and our stronger 
collaboration. The following are the areas we would like to address (in no particular 
order): 
1. Advanced training 
After basic training on domestic violence and mental health has been 
implemented for service providers at our partner agencies, we would like to 
provide advanced training on the issues for a subset of service providers. We 
recognize that it may not be feasible for all service providers to have advanced 
training, but our needs and strengths assessment taught us that it is important 
for key staff to have deeper understanding. They can then service as resources 
for their colleagues. Advanced training should include a social justice analysis 
and information about trauma informed care. 
2. Cross-discipline services 
During our needs and strengths assessment mental health service providers 
expressed an interest in providing culturally specific counseling at domestic 
violence organizations and in co-facilitating support groups with domestic 
violence advocates. Providers and residents at domestic violence housing 
facilities expressed a need for culturally specific counseling on site. Service 
recipients expressed a desire for support groups that address both domestic 
violence and mental health concerns. Since providing direct services is outside 
the scope of this grant, we would like to explore opportunities in the future for 
this type of cross-discipline service provision. 
3. Services for children 
During our needs and strengths assessment we learned that survivors of 
domestic violence with mental health concerns benefited greatly when services 
were provided not just for them, but for their children. Service recipients 
described the peace of mind it gave them when their children’s needs were met, 
how it enabled them to access services for themselves, and how the well being of 
their family increased. Service providers described how survivors were able to 
more easily access mental health services because their children were receiving 
mental health services. They also shared that mothers who were not interested 
in receiving counseling for themselves did utilize counseling if their children were 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 31 
involved. A lack of childcare or children’s services at some organizations was also 
identified as a significant barrier for survivors being able to access services. Since 
this need for integrated children’s services was outside the scope of our grant, 
we did not attempt to address it during our implementation phase. However, we 
would like to address this need in the future. 
4. Public Policy 
While public policy work is also outside the scope of our grant, we will keep track 
of public policy issues as they arise, so we can address those needs in the future. 
A public policy need that was identified during our assessment was the impact of 
funding requirements on survivors’ use of mental health services. Service 
recipients and providers both shared that survivors may choose to forgo greatly 
needed mental health services due to the requirement that County-funded 
mental health providers need to diagnose service recipients. Many survivors do 
not want to be diagnosed due to the risk of losing custody of their children 
because of a mental health issue. We believe that we may be able to address this 
concern in the future by working in partnership with funders. 
5. Family Law Issues 
Another strategy for addressing the custody implications of mental health 
diagnoses would be to work for change within the family law system. While this 
is outside the scope of our grant, this is an area we would like to address in the 
future. 
6. Implementing Our Short Term Initiatives Throughout King County 
We believe the lessons we have learned throughout our planning phase and the 
skills we develop during our implementation phase would be of great value to 
other domestic violence and mental health agencies in our county. We would 
like to share our initiatives with them and assist them with implementation. 
Sustaining the Collaboration 
We will sustain the work we are doing together in the implementation phase by 
integrating our new trainings into staff orientations and through memoranda of 
understanding between the partner agencies. Some of our partners have been working 
together for years to improve services for survivors of domestic violence with mental 
health concerns. As a result of all that we have learned and accomplished together, we 
expect to continue working together to create change for many years to come. 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 32 
Conclusion 
Our change initiatives all have something in common. They are all about building trust: 
• Service recipients being able to trust that providers will have the necessary 
knowledge and understanding to be able to help them 
• Service recipients being able to trust providers enough to ask for what they need 
• Service recipients being able to trust providers will respond appropriately to their 
needs or refer them to someone who can 
• Providers being able to trust each other to provide quality services and helpful 
consultation 
• Providers being able to trust each other to work collaboratively to meet the 
needs of service recipients 
One of the service recipients who participated in our focus groups asked this of 
providers, “Trust me like I trust you.” We hope that the implementation of the change 
initiatives described in this report will result in service providers and recipients having 
greater trust in each other and reaping the rewards of improved services and stronger 
collaborative relationships. Working together we can earn that trust. 

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Glossary 
For the purpose of our project and our ongoing work together, we believe it is 
important to create a common understanding of some of the frequently used terms in 
the domestic violence and mental health professions by defining them in the glossary 
below. We have also defined terms that are less common in the domestic violence and 
mental health fields, but which we will be using in our collaborative work. 
Accessibility 
Usability or ease of access by as diverse a group of people as possible. The dimensions 
of accessibility include attitudinal, financial, and physical accessibility, as well as 
accessibility related to communication. Attitudinal accessibility refers to providing 
services in a manner that is open, welcoming and culturally appropriate. Financial 
accessibility refers to providing affordable services and may encompass issues of 
transportation and childcare availability in addition to fee scales. Physical accessibility 
refers to ease of maneuverability in getting to, entering, and moving around the space 
where services are provided. Accessibility related to communication refers to ensuring 
that as diverse a group of people as possible can communicate with service providers. 
This may mean providing written materials in multiple formats (e.g., large print) and 
offering interpreter services. 
Advocacy-Based Counseling 
Advocacy-Based Counseling means the involvement of a client with an advocate 
counselor in an individual, family or group session with the primary focus on safety 
planning and on empowerment of the client through reinforcing the client’s autonomy 
and self-determination. Advocacy-Based Counseling uses non-victim blaming problemsolving 
methods that include: 
1. Identifying the barriers to safety; 
2. Developing safety checking and planning skills; 
3. Clarifying issues; 
4. Providing options; 
5. Solving problems; 
6. Increasing self-esteem and self-awareness; and 
Improving and implementing skills in decision making, parenting, self-help, and 
self-care. 
(From the Washington Administrative Code regulating state funded domestic 
violence advocacy programs) 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 34 
Collaboration 
A working partnership between organizations for the purpose of accomplishing common 
goals. Partners all have a stake in the success of the collaboration and have a high level 
of interactivity. The partnership includes the sharing of information, resources and 
effort, as well as sharing the benefits of achieving the goals. 
Competency 
Competency is being well qualified for one’s specific role and having the necessary skills, 
knowledge and abilities to provide quality services. Cultural competency, the ability to 
provide culturally appropriate services, is an essential component of basic competency. 
Competency also means knowing one’s limitations and how to obtain consultation when 
needed, knowing when it is necessary to refer someone elsewhere for assistance and 
when it is most helpful to provide the assistance yourself or in collaboration with 
someone else. Experience and advanced training can lead to providers having more 
sophisticated levels of competency. 
Cross-Discipline Case Review 
This is a structured process where two or more disciplines (e.g. domestic violence 
advocates and mental health service providers) meet to discuss one or more cases. The 
purpose is to address system issues and to better meet the needs of survivors of 
domestic violence who have mental health concerns. The goal of cross-discipline case 
review is to identify systemic or cross-system challenges with an aim to improve 
collaboration. The goal is NOT to find fault with any particular individual or 
organization. Rather, the focus is to identify system barriers that impede effective 
collaboration and service coordination, as well as obstacles to meeting the needs of 
service recipients. 
Disabilities 
According to the newest definition developed by the World Health Organization, 
disability is not something that a person has but, instead, something that occurs outside 
of the person—the person has a functional limitation. Disability occurs in the interaction 
between a person, his or her functional ability, and the environment. A person’s 
environment can be the physical environment, communication environment, 
information environment, and social and policy environment. 
This new definition helps us to understand that disability is a matter of degree: one is 
more or less disabled based on the intersection between herself, her functional abilities, 
and the many types of environments with which she interacts. Moreover, the 
experience of disability can be minimized by designing environments to accommodate 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 35 
varying functional abilities and providing individualized solutions when needed. (From 
the Accessing Safety Initiative Website) 
Domestic Violence 
Domestic violence is a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors that an adult or 
adolescent uses to gain and maintain power and control over an intimate partner. The 
behaviors can be physical, sexual, psychological, and/or economic. Domestic Violence is 
a learned pattern of behaviors. 
Intimate partners include people who are currently or formerly in dating, sexual, 
marital, or domestic partner relationships or who otherwise define themselves as being 
in an intimate relationship. 
This behavioral definition differs from the legal definition of domestic violence in 
Washington State (RCW26.50 and RCW 10.99). For the purposes of our collaborative 
project, it can be assumed that when we use the term “domestic violence” we are 
referring to the above behavioral definition. 
Mental Health / Mental Illness 
“Mental health” and “mental illness” are not polar opposites, but may be thought of as 
points on a continuum. Mental health is a state of successful performance of mental 
function, resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with other people, and 
the ability to adapt to change and to cope with adversity. Mental health is indispensable 
to personal well-being, family and interpersonal relationships, and contribution to 
community or society… What it means to be mentally healthy is subject to many 
different interpretations that are rooted in value judgments that may vary across 
cultures. (From Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General) 
Mental Health Counseling 
Mental health counseling is the provision of professional counseling services including 
the application of principles of psychotherapy, human development, learning theory, 
and group dynamics. Mental health counseling addresses the etiology of mental health 
problems and dysfunctional behavior with individuals, couples, families, and groups for 
the purposes of promoting optimal mental health, dealing with normal problems of 
living, and treating psychopathology. (Adapted from the American Mental Health 
Counselors Association) 
Reciprocal Consultation 
Domestic violence, chemical dependency, and mental health service providers can 
strengthen their ability to meet the needs of survivors of domestic violence by receiving 
and providing consultation from their colleagues in the other two fields. Reciprocal 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 36 
consultation enables providers to expand their knowledge, skills, and understanding of 
each other’s fields of expertise and to address the needs of the people they are serving 
rather than merely referring them elsewhere. Reciprocal consultation may take place 
between providers working for the same organization or between providers from 
different organizations. 
Resilience 
Resilience describes the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or 
challenging life experiences, especially highly stressful or traumatic events. Resilience is 
an interactive product of beliefs, attitudes, approaches, behaviors, and, perhaps, 
physiology that help people fare better during adversity and recover more quickly 
following it. … Being resilient does not mean that life's major hardships are not difficult 
and upsetting. Instead, it means that these events, though difficult and upsetting, are 
ultimately surmountable. (From American Psychological Association’s Task Force on 
Resilience in Response to Terrorism) 
Secondary (or Vicarious) Traumatization 
The impact of trauma not experienced directly, but, rather, through contact with, 
including caring for, someone who has directly experienced trauma or crime 
victimization or even through hearing about a traumatic event. (Adapted from After the 
Crisis Initiative: Healing from Trauma after Disasters) 
Secondary trauma is prevalent among domestic violence & mental health professionals 
and can negatively impact their ability to provide effective services. It contributes to 
staff turnover and low morale. 
Self-Determination 
People having the degree of control they desire over those aspects of life that are 
important to them. (From the Research and Training Center on Community Living) For 
people who have abusive partners who have imposed decisions on them, it means 
reclaiming their right to make choices for themselves. 
Stigma 
Stigmatization of people with mental health problems has persisted throughout history. 
It is manifested by bias, distrust, stereotyping, fear, embarrassment, anger, and/or 
avoidance. Stigma leads others to avoid living, socializing or working with, renting to, or 
employing people with mental health problems, especially severe disorders such as 
schizophrenia. It reduces access to resources and opportunities (e.g., housing, jobs) and 
leads to low self-esteem, isolation, and hopelessness. It deters people from seeking, and 
wanting to pay for, care. In its most overt and egregious form, stigma results in outright 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 37 
discrimination and abuse. More tragically, it deprives people of their dignity and 
interferes with their full participation in society….Stigma surrounding the receipt of 
mental health treatment is among the many barriers that discourage people from 
seeking treatment (adapted from Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General) 
Sustainable Systems Change 
Systems change refers to alterations to internal organizational policies, procedures, 
practices, and budgets, as well as how the organization interacts with other 
organizations. Sustainable systems changes are changes that can be maintained over 
time with few new resources or without new funding. Sustainable systems changes do 
not rely on the preferences or motivations of individuals. 
Trauma 
Trauma is the impact on the individual of experiencing an event that involves the threat 
of death or serious injury and an emotional response of fear, helplessness, or horror. It 
is different from other painful and stressful events that constitute the normal 
vicissitudes of life, such as divorce, loss, serious illness, and financial misfortune. 
Examples of traumatic events include domestic violence, stalking, child abuse, sexual 
assault and witnessing interpersonal violence. (Adapted from After the Crisis Initiative: 
Healing from Trauma after Disasters) 
Trauma-Informed Care 
Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) provides a new paradigm under which the basic premise for 
organizing services is transformed from “what is wrong with you?” to “what has 
happened to you?” TIC is initiated through an organizational shift from a traditional 
“top-down” environment to one that is based on collaboration with consumers and 
survivors. (From the National Center for Trauma-Informed Care) 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 38 
Acknowledgements 
The strategic planning that informed this report would not have been possible without 
the contributions of many people. We would like to recognize and thank the following 
people: 
Nancy Smith and Charity Smith of the Vera Institute of Justice for facilitating our 
strategic planning retreat and for their assistance with this report 
Strategic Planning Retreat Participants 
Trish Blanchard of Sound Mental Health 
Torri Canda of Consejo 
Merril Cousin of the King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence 
Donnie Goodman of Seattle Counseling Service 
Alison Iser of the King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence 
Terri Kimball of the City of Seattle Human Services Department 
Lois Loontjens of New Beginnings 
Linda Olsen of the City of Seattle Human Services Department 
Mario Paredes of Consejo 
Ward Urion of the King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence 
Terri Vispo of Consejo 
Corinne Wegener of Consejo 
Susie Winston of Sound Mental Health 
All the members of the Domestic Violence and Mental Health Collaboration Project 
This project is sponsored by 
The Seattle Human Services Department, 
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Division. 
This project is supported by 
Grant No. 2007-FW-AX-K001 awarded by 
The Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. 
The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations 
expressed in this publication are those of the authors 
and do not necessarily reflect the views of 
The Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. 

Strategic Plan – DV/MH Collaboration Project – Page 39 
Questions? 
Questions about this report should be directed to its primary author, the Project 
Coordinator of the Domestic Violence and Mental Health Collaboration Project, Alison 
Iser at Alison@kccadv.org or at 206.568.5454.