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 to IPV 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.