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Patient Safety and Support Resource Sheet

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A printable two-page handout for clinicians to give patients

Most people experiencing psychological abuse and intimate partner violence present with a variety of mental and physical health conditions, while rarely naming the relationship behind it. When you recognize the signs, the next question is what to put in the patient’s hands? The Patient Safety and Support Resource Sheet answers it.
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Insomnia
  • Chronic Pain
  • Substance Abuse
  • Suicidal Thoughts
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Cardiovascular Conditions
  • Neurological Conditions
  • Endocrine Disorders and Diabetes
  • Gynecological and Urinary Health Problems
  • Autoimmune Disease
  • Gastrointestinal Disorders
  • Respiratory Disease and Asthma
  • Childhood Intellectual Functioning Impairment
Built for nurses, physicians, therapists, and frontline care teams, the sheet gathers the national hotlines, legal aid, free and low-cost counseling, local program directories, and technology safety resources a patient may need, with phone numbers and websites in one place. It opens with a safety note and the National Domestic Violence Hotline, available 24/7 by phone, text, and chat, and it closes with a line that gives the patient permission to take it or leave it behind.

Print it double-sided and keep copies in exam rooms, discharge packets, and behavioral health intake folders. It supports the referral step in abuse assessment and staff education requirements, and it is written so a patient who is not ready to disclose can still walk out with a path to help.

Download the Patient Safety and Support Resource Sheet

Healthcare organizations can go further. Dr. Neal’s professional training, clinical screening tools, certification, and patient courses are available for licensing.
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info@averyneal.com

Help Is Available

Resources for safety and support

If you are in immediate danger, call 911.

Use a device the other person cannot access. Consider private or incognito browsing and clearing your history. The National Domestic Violence Hotline website has a quick-exit option. You do not have to leave the relationship to get help. These services are free and confidential.
24/7 Crisis Support (star there)

National Domestic Violence Hotline

1-800-799-7233

1-800-799-SAFE · TTY 1-800-787-3224

Text START to 88788
Chat thehotline.org
Available 24/7 in 170+ languages. Crisis support, safety planning, and referrals to local programs (shelter, advocacy, counseling, legal aid). Serves all
genders and ages.

More Support Lines
  • StrongHearts Native Helpline (Native Americanand Alaska Native survivors): 1-844-762-8483 or strongheartshelpline.org
  • loveisrespect (teens and young adults, datingabuse): 1-866-331-9474, text LOVEIS to 22522, loveisrespect.org
  • Deaf Hotline (video phone): 855-812-1001
  • RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 or rainn.org
  • Crisis Text Line (emotional support by text): text HOME to 741741
  • The Hotline can also connect you to local domestic violence programs, which often provide advocacy, support groups, and counseling
Therapy Trained in Psychological and Emotional Abuse

Psychological abuse (also called emotional abuse or coercive control) is treated as a core part of domestic
violence by these services

  • Ask the National Domestic Violence Hotline or a local DV program for a referral to a counselor experienced
    with intimate partner violence, trauma, or coercive control.
  • Many community DV programs offer free or low-cost individual counseling and survivor support groups.
  • Look for clinicians who use trauma-informed approaches (for example CBT, CPT, EMDR) and who understand safety planning. Couples counseling is not recommended while abuse is ongoing
Legal Information and Legal Aid​
For questions about protection orders, custody, divorce, housing, immigration related to abuse, or whether documentation can be used in court.

WomensLaw.org (a project of the National Network to End Domestic Violence)

  • Plain-language, state-specific legal information on restraining orders, crimes, custody, and more. Serves all survivors, not only women.
  • Confidential Email Hotline with attorney-reviewed information and referrals (not legal advice or representation): hotline.womenslaw.org. Replies typically take 1 to 5 business days. They cannot call you.
Fnd Free or Low-Cost Lawyers​
  • LawHelp.org (lawhelp.org): legal aid and self-help resources by state
  • Legal Services Corporation (lsc.gov): federally funded legal aid offices. Income limits often apply; many still prioritize domestic violence cases.
  • The National Domestic Violence Hotline can refer you to local legal aid and Legal Assistance for Victims programs.
  • Court-based victim advocates and local DV programs often help with protection-order paperwork.
Local Programs, Shelter, and Safety Tools​
  • DomesticShelters.org (domesticshelters.org): searchable directory of local DV programs and shelters in the U.S. and Canada
  • NNEDV Safety Net / Tech Safety (techsafety.org): spyware, location tracking, shared accounts, and safer device use
  • VictimConnect Resource Center: 1-855-484-2846, referrals for victims of crime
  • State and territory DV coalitions: listed through the Office on Violence Against Women or through the Hotline
Risk and Threat Assessment​
  • Danger Assessment (dangerassessment.org): a validated tool for understanding the level of danger in an abusive relationship
  • National Stalking Resource Center (stalkingawareness.org): recognizing and responding to stalking
Free and Low-Cost Counseling
  • Give an Hour (giveanhour.org): no-cost, confidential counseling with volunteer licensed mental health professionals by phone, video, or in person, including a program for people affected by interpersonal violence
  • SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357. Free, confidential, 24/7, in English and Spanish. Refers you to local mental health treatment, including sliding-scale providers.
  • Community health centers (findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov): federally funded clinics that offer counseling and behavioral health on a sliding fee scale, whether or not you have insurance
  • Open Path Collective (openpathcollective.org): online or in-person therapy at $40 to $70 per session after a one-time $65 membership, for households earning under $100,000