As the field of domestic violence social services evolves in the United States, anthropology has much to contribute in directing these services towards equitable models of care. While the current trend towards “trauma-informed care” may at times be in tension with feminist concerns around the professionalization of this work, this field is at a crucial moment of transition. Using the author's perspective as a former practitioner alongside her ethnographic training, this research provides insight into how front-line workers can successfully negotiate between these professionalized realities and their necessary ground-level work. Moreover, the author's dual perspective highlights the potential for shared goals between “practitioners” of social services and “practitioners” of ethnography.

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