Domestic violence is prevalent in every community and affects all people regardless of age, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, or nationality. Physical violence is often accompanied by emotionally abusive and controlling behavior as part of a much larger, systematic pattern of dominance and control. Domestic violence can result in physical injury, psychological trauma, and even death. The devastating consequences of domestic violence can cross generations and last a lifetime. (NCADV)
Domestic violence is not limited to heterosexual relationships and can affect individuals of all sexual orientations and genders. Within the LGBTQ community, intimate partner violence occurs at a rate equal to or even higher than that of the heterosexual community. LGBTQ individuals may experience unique forms of intimate partner violence as well as distinctive barriers to seeking help due to fear of discrimination or bias”(NCADV)
Share #WeAreResilient with @NCADV this October to raise awareness about domestic violence! Learn more at NCADV.org/2022DVAM
Free counseling and advocacy, specializing in services to the LGBTQIA+ community. You do not need to be a patient of Fenway Health to access free, confidential VRP services.
Fenway’s Violence Recovery Program (VRP) provides counseling, support groups, advocacy, and referrals to survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, hate violence, and police misconduct. We specialize in working with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQIA+) individuals.
Please call us if you’re looking for support at 617.927.6250.
The Violence Recovery Program at Fenway Health exists:
You deserve to live a happy and healthy life free from violence and abuse. Fenway’s Violence Recovery Program provides free and confidential support for people who have experienced violence. We have specialized in working with LGBTQIA+ communities for 30 years. We offer services to people who have experienced:
We offer counseling and advocacy in both English and Spanish. Services are offered at Fenway’s 1340 Boylston Street location and at locations in Western Massachusetts, Fall River, and Cape Cod. To access our services, call 617.927.6250 or 800.834.3242 (toll-free in MA).
It’s important to know that people who have experienced violence may have a range of feelings and reactions. While each person is different, many survivors feel frightened, overwhelmed, angry, numb, depressed, or irritable. Some have difficulty sleeping, are afraid to go out, or can’t stop thinking about the violence or abuse. We provide short-term individual counseling to survivors to help survivors cope with and reduce their symptoms. Many survivors find talking about their experiences with a counselor to be an important part of recovering.
Interpersonal violence, in any of its forms, can be a very isolating experience. For this reason, the act of giving and getting support with others with similar experiences can be a powerful part of healing. Groups also offer a chance to learn information and explore skills that can help to better cope. For more information about any of the groups listed below, please call the Violence Recovery Program at 617.927.6250 or 800.834.3242.
Trauma Education Group |
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The Trauma Education Group is a free, 9-week group for LGBTQIA+ people who have experienced abuse, violence or other trauma. Discussions will focus on the effects and symptoms of trauma in general, as opposed to each individual’s traumatic story or memories. Groups are run two to three times a year at Fenway’s 1340 Boylston Street location. |
Male Survivor Group |
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Independence House and The Violence Recovery Program of Fenway Health are joining together to offer a support group for all individuals who identify as men, live on Cape Cod, and are survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence. This is a 9-week group which gives participants information on healthy boundaries, self-care, safety, red flags and developing healthy relationships. This group is offered at the VRP’s Cape Cod Office. |
Asylum Seekers Group |
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The Asylum Seekers group is for LGBTQIA+ people who have come to the United States seeking asylum due to identity-based persecution in their home country. The group will give participants a chance to share resources and knowledge about the Asylum process. Participants can be anywhere in the asylum process. This group is offered at Fenway’s 1340 Boylston Street location. |
BIPOC LGBTQIA+ Community Space |
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This is a safe(r), encouraging, drop-in, support group for BIPOC LGBTQIA+ survivors of trauma who are interested in building community and connection with others who hold shared identities and/or experiences. This is a semi-structured, ongoing group that centers BIPOC LGBTQIA+ individuals and acknowledges the impacts of identity-based oppression on one’s healing journey. This group is not intended to be used as a space to process details of one’s individual trauma, but is intended to offer space for individuals to practice building healthy and supportive relationships with people who have similar experiences. The drop-in group will be running on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month from 5 pm – 6 pm. This space will be offered on an ongoing basis. Participants will be able to sign up for 6-session cycles and are able to sign up for multiple cycles if they are interested. This group is online via Zoom. |
BIPOC Joy Group |
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This is a 12-week virtual support group for people that are seeking an intentional space to create more joy and resilience in their lives while building connections with others. Clients will be invited to participate in weekly group discussions centered on different topics and will be encouraged to participate in practices and activities on their own between sessions. The group will be Thursdays from 5:30 PM to 6:45 PM starting October 7th. Please note, this is a closed group. |
Men’s Group for Survivors of Sexual Violence |
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This a 10-week virtual psychoeducational group for self-identified men who are survivors of sexual violence. The group focuses on understanding the various ways sexual trauma impacts men physically, psychologically, and socially; and offers coping strategies to address the harm caused by sexual violence. |
VRP advocates offer support around various areas related to survivor’s needs. Advocates offer information on your options and offer support. Advocates do not offer advice and will not pressure you to use legal systems. Advocates can help offer information and support around:
The Violence Recovery Program is committed to raising awareness of anti-LGBTQIA+ hate crimes and LGBTQIA+ domestic violence. We compile statewide statistics on rates of violence and abuse in LGBTQIA+ communities so we can more accurately reflect the magnitude and nature of these crimes and how they affect our communities. You can help by calling us and anonymously reporting any incident you face or witness, regardless of whether or not you want to access our services. In collaboration with the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, we release annual reports based on these statistics.
Why report?
To anonymously report hate crime or same-sex domestic violence, call the VRP at 1.800.834.3242.
We also partner with the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.
The Violence Recovery program is committed to providing training and consultation to help organizations, providers, and community groups understand and respond to the needs of LGBTQIA+ individuals affected by violence.
Training topics include:
We may be able to customize trainings for your group. To discuss or schedule a training, call 617.927.6250.
Images from the TOD@S #QTPOClove campaign
