“By the Time You Get to That Trust Part, Your Sessions Are Done”: Women Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Survivors’ Experiences with Counseling and Psychotherapy Services

This study investigated the counseling and psychotherapy experiences of women intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors. With input from co-researchers with lived experience, we interviewed 25 ethnically diverse women who sought counseling and psychotherapy services following IPV. Analyses revealed barriers to engaging in therapy as well as encounters with therapists that participants described as healing, harmful or ineffective. Participants reported both positive and negative long-term outcomes and identified unmet needs. They offered several recommendations for improving counseling and psychotherapy services for survivors of IPV. Findings highlight the urgent need to expand access to quality mental healthcare for this underserved population.