Although safety planning is a widespread practice with clients impacted by domestic violence, the research on it is limited. In this article, we present a review of existing literature describing practices and research in order to understand the gaps in the field's current understanding of safety planning practices. Next, we describe the methodology, findings, and implications of a focus group study that aimed to identify domestic violence service providers' perspectives toward safety planning. The major themes discussed include safety risks for domestic violence victims; safety planning within the community context; and agency policies, procedures, and forms related to safety planning.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a social problem that affects roughly 5.3 million women in the U.S. each year, accounts for 1,300 deaths, and often results in a number of physical and mental health consequences. Many women seek counseling as a way to find relief from the symptoms of the abuse they have endured.Unfortunately, women often find the available resources to be inadequate or worse, damaging. Misdiagnosis, non-violent re-victimization, and even blame are

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Dogs have been companions on college campuses and with military personnel in a variety of therapeutic ways. Although research has been con-ducted regarding college students’ perceptions of therapy dog programs, research specifically examining military-affiliated students’ experiences with therapy dogs is limited. In this study, a therapy dog, registered with Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD), was introduced into a classroom with military-affiliated students over the course of one semester. All participants were Field-Grade Officers in a branch of the United States Military and were also recent graduates of a Department of Defense-approved (DOD) Civilian Institution (CI) graduate educational program. Participants shared that the presence of a therapy dog in the classroom positively impacted their mental health and wellbeing. Four themes emerged from the individual and group interviews with participants: Relational Connections, Emotional and Social Support, Positive Change in Climate, and Basic Needs.