Project "We Can Talk About It” was created in 1994 to address the growing awareness of the co-occurrence of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and child maltreatment. The team provides outpatient individual, family, and group therapy to adult survivors of IPV and their children from ages 3-18. The program offers services in Spanish for immigrants coping with intimate partner violence. We also offer consultation and training around issues of IPV.

Individual and Family Therapy

Survivors of IPV and their children can experience a wide range of feelings and symptoms including intense shame, isolation, depression, anxiety, anger, and low self-esteem. Offering individual adult therapy, adolescent therapy, and child play therapy, our team supports families in rebuilding their lives as well as connecting to useful community resources. Our clinicians are trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Neurofeedback.

Child Witness to Violence Group

The We Can Talk About It program offers specialized support groups for children who have witnessed violence at home. These groups provide a safe and supportive environment where children can express their feelings, build coping skills, and connect with peers who have experienced similar challenges. The groups focus on fostering emotional resilience, self-esteem, and healthy communication.

Group Details:

• Age range: 5-10, and 11-13 years old
• Duration/Length of meetings: 12 weeks, meeting weekly for 45 minutes
• Location: Children's Charter Trauma Clinic, Waltham, MA

Consultation and Training

We provide training and consultation to police, advocates, DCF workers, educators and medical professionals. Topics have included the impact of IPV on children, building trauma informed schools and practices, and post-homicide support for families. We also provide clinical case consultation related to trauma and mental health challenges to community providers.

Payment and Referral

Funding through the Massachusetts Office of Victim Assistance and the Department of Public Health subsidizes appropriate referrals.