(Posted 2024 November)
Jennifer Perkins, ADAPT (Anger and Domestic Abuse Prevent and Treatment) supervisor in Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, was recently appointed to the Virginia Batterer Intervention Program Certification Board. Board members work collaboratively as a multidisciplinary independent organization to oversee the certification process for batterer intervention programs in Virginia.
“The Board consists of 20 members, five of whom are providers to those who have cause harmed. I will be one of those five and will give a voice to the needs of our clients when reviewing and implementing treatment guidelines,” Perkins said of her appointment. “My hope is to contribute to creating treatment guidelines that will result in programs across the state of Virginia offering services that are of high quality and high standards, ultimately putting an end to domestic violence.”
Perkins has been with Domestic and Sexual Violence Services for 16 years, much of that time working on the ADAPT team. “I grew up in an urban neighborhood infested with violence, drugs, and mental health problems. As long as I can remember, I have always been interested in learning about and understanding violent behavior, along with all things under the realm of what we used to refer to as ‘abnormal psychology,’” she said. “I pursued education in criminal justice and clinical psychology at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Mental health, substance use disorders, trauma, and domestic violence managed to show up in every treatment setting I ever worked in.”
The board position is voluntary and has no time limit. “This position offers us a valuable space to advance the work of accountability for those who cause harm across the state of Virginia. We are so happy to have Jennifer in this role,” said DSVS Clinical Services Program Manager Melody Vielbig.
If you or someone you know is experiencing interpersonal violence, call the Domestic and Sexual Violence 24-Hour Hotline at 703-360-7273 for resources and support. If you are in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.
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