This article describes a group for domestic violence survivors to help them move past a "liminal" state in which their social identity is characterized by being "victim" or "survivor" to one of "incorporation" defined by "thriving" and joy. Through the creation and use of healing rituals, blessings, poetry, art and music, the women in the group establish "communitas" and support each other in the work of self-reclamation and healing. The group, "Rites of Passage" is intended for women who have completed shelter-based crisis interventions, and uses a structured curriculum that integrates theoretical and philosophical concepts from anthropology, post-modernism, humanistic psychology, social work, and existentialism. Through the Rites of Passage group, women identify and traverse a healing trajectory to construct an identity founded on strength and fulfillment. Patterned after non-western sex-segregated rites of transition, those who go through the group celebrate its conclusion with a defining ritual that publically marks their change in identity and status.

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Individuals with hemophilia and other congenital bleeding disorders are surviving beyond any life expectancy previously predicted and now face conditions associated with "normal" aging. Hemophilia along with co-morbid conditions of HIV and Hepatitis C complicate treatment for heart disease, cancer, kidney disease, and other age-related diseases. Lack of understanding of the condition, its treatment, and its costs hampers care, particularly when patients are treated outside of specialty clinics. This article provides an overview of bleeding disorders with a special focus on aging considerations. The role of social work in specialized hemophilia treatment centers is described and suggestions made to other social workers who may encounter this population in their practice. Finally, the need for policy and advocacy strategies is also addressed.

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