Across the Divide: Using Research to Enhance Collaboration Between Mental Health and Domestic Violence Services

Abstract

Recognition of the deleterious effects of domestic violence on women's mental health has highlighted the potential benefits for women of collaboration between mental health and domestic violence services. Yet the different histories, knowledge bases, and organisational cultures of the mental health and domestic violence sectors present formidable challenges to the development of effective collaborative work. This article draws on a large research enquiry, involving four separate but related studies, which explored aspects of collaboration between these two service sectors. It focuses particularly on data collected in interviews with practitioners from mental health and domestic violence services who were participants in an action research study (one of the four studies), which was aimed at discovering the factors that contributed to enhanced collaboration and the benefits of this for women who experience both domestic violence and mental health issues.

Abstract

Keywords:

• Domestic Violence
• Collaboration
• Mental Health
• Practice Research
• Social Work Research
• Women

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by Australian Research Council Linkage Grant (LP0562636).

Notes

¹The study included both women with a mental illness (defined as: the full range of recognised, medically diagnosable illnesses that result in significant impairment of an individual's cognitive, affective or relational abilities; Australian Health Ministers, 1998) and “mental health concerns” (defined as: diminished cognitive, emotional or social abilities, but not to the extent that the criteria for a medically diagnosed mental illness are met; Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, 2000).

²A copy is available from the corresponding author.

³A PDF copy is available from the corresponding author.