“No More Trapping Me!”: Communication Scholarship in the Service of Women Experiencing Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse

Abstract

Domestic violence (DV) and substance abuse (SA) are correlated issues that should be addressed simultaneously. However, many agencies do not address the simultaneous issues and there tends to be little interaction between DV and SA agencies for numerous reasons, including general procedural and philosophical differences. This study examined the efforts of a DV center and a SA center to collaborate. Findings indicate that the competing discourses can function dialectically in ways that survivors find empowering and that inter-agency support groups may be effective for simultaneously addressing DV and SA.