The chapter opens with two case vignettes. One case portrays the experiences of a 24-year-old college graduate who quickly and permanently broke up with her abusive boyfriend. Her sleep disturbances and nightmares continued even after the break-up. The second case portrays the years of physical and psychological abuse experienced by a school teacher with two young children. She left her abusing husband only after the urging of her priest and a support group sponsored by Catholic Charities. The chapter then presents data to show that millions of women are assaulted by spouses and intimate partners each year. This is followed by a discussion of methods for assessing risk and safety concerns. The last section of the chapter examines intervention strategies and safety guidelines for battered women and their children. Roberts' Seven Stage Crisis Intervention Model is described. The first step is to plan and conduct crisis and biopsychosocial assessment. The second step involves establishing rapport and a collaborative relationship. The third step identifies dimensions of presenting problems, including factors that precipitated the crisis. The fourth step explores feelings through active listening and validation, and the fifth step generates and explores alternative ways of dealing with the abusive situation. The sixth step involves developing an action plan, followed by the seventh step, i.e., planning for follow-up measures after the action plan has been implemented. Also presented is a step-by-step safety plan and a listing of items that should be included in a "survival kit." 1 figure and 53 references