Violence Intervention & Recovery

Advocacy, crisis intervention and recovery are available for trauma survivors of personal and community violence. Our crisis advocacy staff can help you: 

• Design a plan for leaving an abusive relationship and establishing safety in your life.
• Get a protective order and go to court with you for added support.
• Access services and resources from other agencies, including your search for housing.

Consider joining one or more of our free support groups, where you can find ways to heal and thrive.

Mindfulness & Meditation Group

This group looks at topics that tend to be present in the lives of trauma survivors. We show you how the practice of mindfulness and meditation can improve your quality of life. With the help of Spiritual Care staff, we address these and other issues:

Gardening Group

Our weekly drop-in group supports female survivors of trauma in their healing journey through connecting with nature as well as other survivors. Meeting in the summer and fall, members learn new gardening skills and can take projects home. You don’t need any prior experience, and we provide all supplies for free.

Peer-to-Peer Support for Individuals Impacted by Community Violence

The Center for Violence Prevention and Recovery (CVPR) supports community-based initiatives that provide one-to-one peer support for individuals who have lost a loved one to homicide. CVPR also promotes Peace Circles and offers Restorative Justice training for community members and provider groups to help address harm, foster healing and prevent cycles of violence.

Peer Specialists for Human Trafficking

Through the Adelante Initiative, CVPR employs peer specialists with lived experience of human trafficking who provide support to individuals impacted by labor and sex trafficking.

Survivor Leadership Collective

The Survivor Leadership Collective (SLC) is a community of survivors who work together to promote healing around sexual and domestic violence through education, advocacy, skill-building and leadership. Formed with support from CVPR in response to survivor feedback, the SLC creates inclusive spaces where survivors lead from their lived experience and give back to the community.

CVPR and the SLC collaborate on events during Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April) and Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October), including healing arts, advocacy, co-training and trauma-informed care initiatives.

Provider Support & Consultation

CVPR staff offer consultation and support to frontline and direct-service staff, supervisors and managers. Services address workplace violence, vicarious trauma, resilience and CVPR’s core areas of expertise, including domestic and sexual violence, community violence and homicide and human trafficking.

The Sanctuary Project provides free forensic medical/mental health evaluations for individuals applying for humanitarian immigration relief including:

• Asylum
• T Visas (labor and sex trafficking)
• U Visa (immigrant victims of certain qualifying crimes)
• VAWA (intimate partner abuse by US citizen or LPR spouse)
• Convention Against Torture

Evaluators are clinical social workers at BIDMC who have received training through the Asylum Medicine Training Initiative and ongoing support and mentorship from the Sanctuary Project team.

How To Make a Referral (For Attorneys)

1. Submit a completed Sanctuary Project Referral form and client affidavit by email to our team. We request 2.5 months lead time before a finalized evaluation is needed.
2. If you have an urgent case, please email us first to discuss feasibility.
3. Once the referral and affidavit are received, a Sanctuary Project coordinator will confirm receipt, discuss interpretation needs, and match evaluator with availability and expertise for the case.
4. The coordinator will introduce attorney and evaluator via email.
5. The evaluator and client will schedule date, time and medium (in-person or virtual).