Program Purpose

Clinical Services Program provides short-term crisis counseling and psychotherapy to victims of intimate partner violence and their children, individually, with families and in groups. This includes physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, and/or financial abuse. Counseling can help by providing information about intimate partner violence, resources available, safety planning and reduction of trauma related symptoms. Counselors facilitate and support the client’s decision making.  They offer non-judgmental help in addressing the causes and effects of intimate partner violence in the client’s life and that of their families. Counselors may teach a client stress reduction techniques, help identify and build their community supports, provide a safe place for clients to tell their story and process all that they have been through.

Referral Process

Call the House of Ruth’s 24-hour Hotline to be referred to adult or child & family counseling services. We have four community based counseling sites; two in Baltimore City, and one each in Prince George’s and Montgomery County. We also provide counseling services to adult and child residents in our shelter program.

The Domestically Violent Women’s Program is a program for women who have used violence in an intimate relationship. Women who are court ordered or come voluntarily are helped to examine their behavior and take responsibility for the violence. We help each woman gain honest insight into the context for the violence. In some situations, IPV survivors may have used violence in an attempt to defend herself. Other women have used violence in anticipation of the next beating. The groups’ focus is on intimate partner violence education, safety planning, healthy parenting, anger management, taking responsibility for behavioral choices, and alternatives to violence.