Implementing and Evaluating a Counseling Program in Partnership With a Community-based Domestic Violence Service...

Given the burden of intimate partner violence (IPV), effective counseling interventions that are accessible to women in their own communities are needed.

To describe the collaborative process of implement ing and evaluating a new counseling program for IPV-the Women's Initiative for Safety and Health (WISH)-in a community setting and present results of its Thrst pilot test.

WISH is a stage-tailored, eight-session counseling program based on the transtheoretical model. Imple men tation evaluation addressed program exposure/Thdelity, counselor experience, and client experience. Outcome evaluation measured change in IPV-related incidents, self-efficacy, decisional balance, overall health, quality of life, and stage of change among 19 women.

Both counselors and clients perceived the WISH intervention positively. Across all outcomes, there were improvements among some women, most notably in perceived self-efficacy, decisional balance, and stage of change.

Academic-community partnerships can facilitate the translation of theory-based interventions for use in community-based settings.