The Journey and Power of Discovery: Dr. Maria Garay-Serratos

Look to your left. Now, look to your right. There is someone next to you who knows the heartbreak of domestic violence. Chances are they are keeping it a secret too. One in three women and one in four men and 15.5 million children live in families where there is domestic violence. These are shocking numbers that are so often never spoke of. For Dr. Maria Garay-Serratos, the CEO of Sojourner Center, she knows this all too well.
The oldest child of seven, Maria’s home life was often plagued with the horror of abuse and violence. “Nobody ever asked us how we were, if they could help or how we could help ourselves,” the soft-spoken leader reveals. “My mother was a strong and courageous woman who navigated abuse that would ultimately lead to traumatic brain injury, which resulted in dementia and Alzheimer’s.”
Last summer, Dr. Garay-Serratos’ mother passed away. Burying her mother as a result of abuse, Maria’s resolve to work in the field of domestic violence was emboldened. “I couldn’t save my mother,” Maria solemnly reflects, “but I can work for others, stopping the cycle of abuse and the common misconceptions of what domestic violence means.”
An academic, earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Pitzer College, a Masters of Social Work and Ph.D. from the University of Southern California, Maria Garay-Serratos knows the issue intellectually and emotionally. “Domestic violence is a public health epidemic,” she states. “This is everybody’s business and not something that is a private family issue.” From economic impacts to health costs, domestic violence effects the entire community. “We are now understanding that bullying, teen dating violence, foster care, work place violence, and other issues often have links to domestic violence.” This, for many, sounds logical, but the issue has not been fully investigated or scientifically studied to the extent that other social issues have.
“Often we discuss the issue with a judgmental lens.” Dr. Garay-Serratos explains her desire to reframe the community discussion surrounding domestic violence. “The old thinking of why doesn’t she just leave him is not working.” There are women abusing women and women abusing men and, children abusing their parents, and elder abuse is on the rise. “We know it has always been there,” adds Dr. Garay-Serratos, “we know this from our own families. However, we have not really invested in the tracking and study of these broader issues. Without the foundational understanding of the issue we are only putting band-aids on the problems.”
While we can all agree that shelter is an obvious choice, it is not a long-term solution. “Do we want to get a woman with her children out of a violent home?” Maria asks. “Of course we do! However, we want families to build a path towards a different type of life, with the ability to overcome the issues of domestic violence.” This extends to the topic of children. “About 50 percent of the population in shelter is children. The majority of these are under the age of five years old.” This is a sobering link to the cycle of abuse. “Imagine if we can tap into the health and future of kids?” asks Dr. Garay-Serratos. “We could become more proactive in ending the prospect of future generations living with domestic violence.”
“While we need to offer shelter services, we will never be part of a systemic solution without greater research,” adds Dr. Garay-Serratos. Part of her leadership is the advent of deeper dives into who is seeking shelter, who is successful at transitioning away from abusive relationships and what are the outcomes of people in treatment.
“We need to do a better job, across the country, understanding how domestic violence patterns emerge. This means studying traumatic brain injury, mental health, substance abuse and relationships.”
“When a woman and her children, and for some their pets enter shelter, we often take a minimal amount of information and that includes a minor assessment of her and her children’s situation. You might say we are taking care of this person’s immediate needs.” But what Dr. Garay-Serratos and Sojourner Center are pivoting towards is a greater interest in their client’s medical history, work life, education and a more intimate look into their lives. “For some,” admits Dr. Garay-Serratos, “this is a bit controversial. We have found that while many people in the field of domestic violence have tremendous compassion, they may not be the strongest or even educated in counseling, nursing, health, or mental healthcare.”
She notes that a stronger foundation of knowledge must be met with rigorous data collection. “We need to stop thinking that we know what is best for people dealing with violence in their home. Instead we must meet people where they are, understand how they confront issues, and learn how to best work with them so they gain independence and the resources to transform their life.”
Domestic violence issues are not the same for everyone. For some, there are major legal hurdles to overcome. There can be overwhelming health issues, trauma and family dynamics. There can be limitations to work which can often be resolved with workforce training and then there are the children. “Again, the children are so often overlooked, yet they have the rest of the lives to deal with the outcome of domestic violence. If we work with these kids now, we can redirect future abuse.”
Part of creating an atmosphere of deeper understanding and research is pushing Sojourner Center into new unprecedented relationships and innovative approaches. Dr. Garay-Serratos and her team have reached out and formed partnerships with national organizations such as USC, UCLA, PetSmart, ASU and even the NFL.
“We are working on modalities and testing our process,” explains Dr. Garay-Serratos. “We must be brave and courageous. We need to investigate the deeper issues that surround this public health crisis. It is not easy and we might just find out that we have to change our notions of what domestic violence is.”
Dr. Garay-Serratos looks off in the distance which includes a thoughtful and revealing moment. “You know; my mother was amazing. She loved her children, kept us together without any formal education. Yet, each one of us have gone to college, graduated and become professionals. We are a family of hope, triumph and interestingly enough, public service. But, there is more we can do. There is a path we can change for other families who live in the shadow of domestic violence.”
And, with a calm and yet poignant admission, she adds, “I will be on a healing journey for the rest of my life. I have forgiven my father, but I need to know how we as a society could have helped him too.”
With that, Dr. Maria Garay-Serratos, composes herself and returns to the bright and hopeful leader she is. Extending a warm welcome to a tour group that crosses her path, Maria greets a supporter who has visited the campus to discuss the annual Hope Luncheon and offers a shelter resident a bold splash of encouragement. “How’s the job search going? Did we help you get your resume put together?”
Next, she is on to a meeting with a potential funder and later there is a conference call with a team of neuroscientists who are working with Sojourner Center on a groundbreaking study of traumatic brain injury.
When pressed about her new life in Arizona and the exhaustive work she is responsible for, Dr. Maria Garay-Serratos smiles. “Yes, there’s a lot of work to do, but this community is behind us and they deserve to get it right. Domestic abuse impacts everyone. I don’t want to believe that this is just part of the human condition. I know we can solve this. We have to work together. We must take the emotion, condemnation and judgement out of the equation and build processes that work.”
Sojourner Center
www.sojournercenter.org