Community Support Programs Branch

Women, Violence, and Trauma Programs

For over a decade, the Community Support Programs (CSP) Branch has played a leadership role in developing and putting to use knowledge about women’s mental health and substance abuse issues, including trauma. Trauma-informed services are a required component of many CSP Branch grant programs.

Understanding that violence and trauma commonly underlie personal challenges can help practitioners and clinicians more accurately identify and assist survivors. Researchers report that 48 to 90 percent of women with mental health and substance abuse disorders have histories of interpersonal abuse.

The CSP Branch supports a variety of activities to help providers, consumers, policymakers, states, and communities better understand how trauma can effect individuals and to offer effective aid to trauma survivors.

Resource Centers

The CSP Branch funds the National Center for Trauma-Informed Care (NCTIC) to provide free and low-cost trauma training and technical assistance to publicly funded programs and systems. NCTIC also provides education and outreach, a speakers bureau, and resources to stimulate and support change to address the trauma experienced by so many survivors.

Grant Funding

The CSP Branch has advocated a greater understanding of the effects of integrating trauma treatment within traditional substance abuse and mental health settings through its collaborative support of the SAMHSA Women, Co-Occurring Disorders and Violence Study (WCDVS).

Partnerships with Federal and Non-Federal Partners

The CSP Branch has partnered with the Council of State Governments (CSG) to construct policy and practice recommendations for serving women within the contexts of both the criminal justice and mental health systems.