May is Mental Health Awareness Month

For Hub City Times

MADISON — The cuts, bruises, and broken bones of a sexual assault or domestic violence survivor can often be seen on the outside, but what about the inside? Coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Month, End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and American Indians Against Abuse-Wisconsin will bring together dozens of local service providers to learn about the importance of dealing with the mental trauma of sexual assault and domestic violence from Cathy Cave, a national leader on issues of mental health, trauma, and gender-based violence. Training will be May 11 and 12 at Hotel Marshfield.

“We are excited to welcome Cathy Cave to Wisconsin,” said Patti Seger, executive director of End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin. “Her presentation continues a series of exercises to help Wisconsin service providers better respond to some of the most profound issues affecting survivors:  racism, oppression and gender-based-violence, and the resulting trauma and mental health consequences.”

“Sexual assault and domestic violence service providers strive to offer culturally accessible and trauma-informed care,” said Pennie Meyers, executive director of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault. “These meetings are just an example of the ways sexual assault and domestic violence service providers are continually learning in an effort to advance their work to help survivors throughout the state.”

Cave is the senior training consultant for the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma and Mental Health. She has more than 25 years of experience helping mental health care, substance abuse treatment, and victim service providers better understand and attend to the impact of trauma in the lives of their clients.

End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and American Indians Against Abuse are statewide coalitions of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and tribal victim service providers, respectively. In addition to this meeting, the organizations collaborate to host other training sessions that bring together local leaders and promote the most effective and promising practices to support survivors of violence.