Frequently Asked Questions

  • WomenSV offers services to empower survivors, train providers and educate the community to break the cycle of covert abuse in intimate partner relationships so that every woman and child can exercise their fundamental human right to be free and safe in their own home. Our services include:

    -Domestic violence education, support, validation, safety planning, and connection to resources

    -Professional education to help providers become more trauma-informed in serving survivors involved with a covert abuser. We provide training for law enforcement, therapists, physicians, court staff, medical providers and domestic violence agencies

    -Public presentations & media interviews to raise awareness that domestic violence happens across all economic areas, neighborhoods and professions

  • Coercive control is a pattern of isolating, threatening, and controlling behavior that deprives an intimate partner of freedom, peace and safety and over time of their identity, personhood, independence, safety and self-sufficiency.

    It is the ultimate form of identity theft as it robs a person of who they were before becoming involved in the relationship.

    It typically involves fraud and coercion, the same elements involved in human trafficking. It is a liberty crime impinging on a person’s fundamental human right to live in peace, safety and freedom in their own home.

    It ranges from gaslighting and other forms of emotional abuse to strangulation. It is one of the top three lethality risks along with gun ownership and ending the relationship.

  • WomenSV does not provide lawyer referrals, legal services, legal advice or any involvement in legal proceedings. We empower survivors with information to make their own informed decisions in their own journey and do not provide recommendations.

  • For both accessibility and security, WomenSV conducts its operations virtually. We are based in Los Altos, California.

  • WomenSV does not operate a shelter or offer housing. If you are in need of shelter in the Bay Area, the following resources may be helpful to you:

    -Center for Domestic Peace
    -W.O.M.A.N Inc.
    -La Casa de las Madres
    -Next Door Solutions
    -SAFE: https://legalaidsc.org/programs/ / FJCSC.org
    -RU SAFE App

  • When you sign up for a course, you will be prompted to create an account and complete the checkout process.

    After checkout, an Account panel will open on the right side of the screen. Click on the course title to access the course content.

    To access the course at any time after purchasing, log into your account by clicking LOGIN on the upper right of the site navigation.

    The Account panel will open as soon as you sign in or click ACCOUNT in the upper right corner. From there, click on the course title to access the course content.

    You will also receive a welcome email with instructions to access the course when you sign up.

  • Donations and grants received by WomenSV support the nonprofit’s online resources for domestic abuse survivors and educational training for providers and communities.

  • Thank you to the amazing community of volunteers supporting our work at WomenSV! If you are interested in joining us, please send an email to info@womensv.org.

  • While WomenSV is not actively hiring at the moment, we are always accepting applications. If you would like to connect, please email info@womensv.org.

WomenSV Frequently Asked Questions