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Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program

The Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program (IPVAP) helps Veterans and their partners who are affected by domestic violence such as physical, emotional, sexual and verbal abuse from their spouse or partner.

Tennessee Valley's commitment

Our Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program is committed to helping Veterans, their partners and also VA staff who are impacted by intimate partner violence. If you or someone you know could be experiencing and/or using intimate partner violence, we can help!

Contact our Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program Coordinators at  or . You can also call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at or the Tennessee State Domestic Violence Hotline at .

What is intimate partner violence?

Intimate partner violence is a specific type of domestic violence that refers to physical, verbal, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as stalking, between intimate partners.  

An intimate partner can include anyone with whom an individual has had an intimate relationship – including current or former spouses; boyfriends or girlfriends; and romantic, dating, or sexual partners. Intimate partners may or may not be sexually intimate or live together.

Intimate Partner Violence occurs in both heterosexual and same-sex relationships and can affect anyone of any age, including older adults. 

Types of intimate partner violence

Intimate Partner Violence includes many forms of abusive or violent behaviors, such as physical, emotional, or sexual abuse; stalking; and controlling or bullying behavior. 

  • Physical is any use of physical force meant to hurt, control, or intimidate.
    • Examples include: Hitting, strangulation, suffocating, biting, shoving, kicking, hair pulling, or using weapons or other objects to harm or intimidate.
  • Sexual is any attempted or completed sexual contact that is without the other person’s unpressured consent or reproductive coercion.
    • Examples include: Forced sexual activity/rape, touching or grabbing an individual in a sexual manner without consent, poking a hole in a condom, hiding birth control pills, refusing to use a condom or other protection.
  • Emotional or psychological is when a person tries to hurt his/her partner’s self-worth. Intimate partner violence often starts with the use of emotionally or psychologically abusive behaviors that escalate over time.
    • Examples include name calling, bullying, controlling your money, putting you down, saying you're "crazy" or "worthless", or monitoring you who talk to.
  • Stalking is when a person frequently or continuously contacts, follows, talks to, or sends things to his/her partner when the other partner does not want them to do these things. 
    • Examples include: knowing your daily schedule, showing up at place you go, calling or texting repeatedly, sending unwanted gifts, monitoring online behavior, or gaining access to your email or social network accounts.

Contact us

Below are the phone contacts for the TVHS Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program team. Feel free to contact them for assistance:

 

Resources

Here's a list of resources for Veterans experiencing or using intimate partner violence:

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