Although women who experience intimate partner violence seek health
care at least as often as other women, their abuse history
is frequently not identified, and even when it is, they often
do not receive the services they need (Plichta, 2007). New
Brunswick is a predominantly Caucasian, bilingual (English/
French) rural province with a population of 750,000 and a
few small cities. Primary care is the basic service available
tointimate partner violence survivors; specialty mental health and trauma services
are limited, particularly in rural communities. In this
context of fiscal constraints and low population density,
implementing best-practice guidelines that call for specialty-
level practitioners is often not possible.