Integrating Spirituality and Domestic Violence Treatment

Summary

This article provides a brief reflection on how the Change of Seasons treatment model developed and the reasons for its success with Aboriginal men. Parallels between Aboriginal perspectives, or worldviews, and Ken Wilber's transpersonal psychology, Rupert Sheldrake's fields theory, and Peter Senge's systems thinking are also discussed. Practical rituals and ceremonies that have been successfully integrated into psychoeducational group counselling as practiced in the Change of Seasons model are explained. These musings are included to initiate further dialogue on holistic approaches to counselling and other community initiatives.     

Therapist Perceptions of Intimate Partner Violence: A Replication of Harway and Hansen's Study after More than a Decade

ABSTRACT

More than a decade ago, Hansen, Harway, and Cervantes (1991) Hansen, M., Harway, M. and Cervantes, N. 1991. Therapists' perceptions of severity in cases of family violence. Violence and Victims, 6: 225–235. [PubMed] , [Google Scholar] and Harway and Hansen (1993) Harway, M. and Hansen, M. 1993. “Therapist perceptions of family violence”. In Battering and family therapy: A feminist perspective, Edited by: Hansen, M. and Hansen, M. 42–53. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.  [Google Scholar] examined mental health providers' ability to accurately perceive violence within couples presenting for therapy and to intervene in a manner that reduces risk. Alarmingly, 40% of therapists sampled failed to identify the presence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and none predicted lethality. Over a decade later, the present replication of Harway and colleagues' study was completed with the expectation that today's therapists are better prepared to identify IPV within a clinical vignette. Results show that therapists have indeed improved their ability to identify IPV. However, only one therapist accurately predicted lethality in the present study. Implications concerning IPV training for therapists are discussed.     

Female Offenders in Domestic Violence

SUMMARY

It is well accepted that large numbers of men batter women. Although some data also reveal that women report assaulting men in large numbers, interpretation of the latter data has been fraught with controversy. The present article reports on a sample of women arrested for domestic violence. When questions were asked about frequency of violence initiation, which partner began the overall pattern of violence in the relationship, and the women's reasons for using violence, it was found that about two-thirds of the women were battered and using violence to protect themselves or to retaliate for previous violence against them. Implications of these findings for conceptualizing women's violence as well as for training law enforcement personnel are discussed.     

Involving Police Departments in Early Awareness of Concussion Symptoms during Domestic Violence Calls

ABSTRACT

Police officers around the world respond to and investigate calls regarding domestic violence (DV) daily. Police departments operate with standard protocols, particularly when engaging in investigations that involve allegations of strangulation or sexual assault. Operating under advisement of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, the Mesa Police Department (Mesa, AZ) has established protocols for detecting, recording, and prosecuting DV cases that involve strangulation and sexual assault. Allegations of strangulation (defined as impeded breathing) or sexual assault prompt officers to offer a forensic nursing exam (FNE) combined with strangulation treatment by forensic nurses at the Mesa Family Advocacy Center. Recognizing the potential for head injury to the assault victim in all DV situations, including intimate partner violence (IPV), the police department has added concussion-awareness training, as well as a point-of-incident investigative tool for its officers to record neurological function of the victim. Officers were instructed to use the ConQVerge device to measure and record the Near Point of Convergence (NPC) as a test of neurological impairment in suspected head injuries. In this article, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for assisting victims of DV strangulation and sexual assault (including non-DV sexual assault) with on-site assessment and consent for further medical assessment and treatment. Additionally, rates of domestic assault victims that report a crime, but decline to follow through with forensic medical tests, are reported for the first time. Lessons learned from the project that inform strategic operations in this space are offered to other agencies prior to the implementation of similar procedures.     

Conjoint Couple's Treatment for Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Despite lingering concerns in the field about the wisdom of seeing couples conjointly when there has been Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), the research literature and clinical practice experience both indicate that this approach can be safe and effective for at least some couples. In this paper, we briefly review the existing outcome research on Couple's treatment for IPV and then suggest best clinical practices for this work. Best practices, in our view, include seeing Couple's treatment of IPV as a clinical specialty necessitating specific training, working as part of a coordinated community response to IPV, modification of the structure of therapy to increase safety, as well as careful screening of couples and on-going assessment of the propriety of conjoint treatment.     

The Importance of Therapist/Client Ethnic/Racial Matching in Couples Treatment for Domestic Violence

Outcome research indicates a relative degree of variability regarding the effectiveness of client and therapist ethnic/racial matching (see Cabral and Smith 2011; Shin et al. in J Couns Psychol 52(1):45–56, 2005). Considering these findings, our study hopes to further understand the complexity behind ethnic/racial matching in treatment. In this study, we examined interviews with clients and therapists regarding ethnic/racial matching in couples treatment for domestic violence (e.g., McCollum and Stith in Violence Vict 23(2):187–201, 2008). Our findings indicated that ethnic/racial matching is a complex multi-faceted issue and connected ethnic/racial matching with issues of culture, human experience, and others. We recommend clinicians consider the complexity of ethnic/racial matching in practice.     

Multifaceted Approaches in Spouse Abuse Treatment

SUMMARY

The understanding of spouse abuse has changed considerably in the last 30 years, shifting from a perspective based on individual psychopathology to that of a pervasive social problem. Current treatment solutions for stopping violence are limited to those that address resocializing the batterer. Several states often restrict the use of state funds for batterers' groups and forbid couples treatment as a primary treatment option in spite of the fact that most couples choose to remain in their relationships in the presence of repeated violence. This article argues for broadening options to include a specific type of couples treatment as a part of a coordinated community response to remediate domestic violence. Solution-focused therapy is described as an example of treatment of relationships that makes safety a priority and is not victim-blaming. It is suitable treatment both for couples who wish to stay together and those seeking a safe way to separate.     

遵循指南，恰当进行冠心病的介入治疗

如何遵循指南,结合冠心痛患者实际情况和具体病变,恰如其分地为患者实施经皮冠状动脉介入治疗（PCI）,使获益最大化,而风险最低化,是每一位心血管介入医生的追求和面临的问题。应正确和严格选择冠心病患者PCI适应证,合理运用PCI的各种手段,牢固树立冠心病全面治疗观念。PCI仅仅是冠心病全面治疗的一个组成部分,必要的介入、外科治疗和合理药物治疗的联合应用,是心血管疾病治疗的发展方向。     

遵循指南,恰当进行冠心病的介入治疗

如何遵循指南,结合冠心病患者实际情况和具体病变.恰如其分地为患者实施经皮冠状动脉介入治疗(PCI).使获益最大化,而风险最低化,是每一位心血管介入医生的追求和面临的问题.应正确和严格选择冠心痛患者PCI适应证,合理运用PCI的各种手段,牢固树立冠心病全面治疗观念.PCI仅仅是冠心病全面治疗的一个组成部分,必要的介入、外科治疗和合理药物治疗的联合应用,是心血管疾病治疗的发展方向.     

Barriers to Addressing Substance Abuse in Domestic Violence Court

Substance abuse commonly co-occurs with intimate partner violence among both perpetrators and survivors. Specialized courts that focus on intimate partner violence provide a unique opportunity to address both problems simultaneously, but research has yet to identify whether this happens. In this qualitative study of a domestic violence court in a large midwestern metropolitan area, key informants were interviewed to understand how the Court treats substance abuse. Results indicate that substance abuse typically is not identified among perpetrators or survivors going through the Court unless it is mentioned in a police report. Barriers to such identification are the organization of the Court, bounded definition of actors’ roles in the Court, limited resources, and negative attitudes towards survivors. These results suggest that specialized courts that attend to only one problem may overlook the possibility of addressing issues that commonly co-occur.     

Prevalence of Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment: Implications for Prevention and Intervention

The purpose of this paper is to review research on the prevalence of children's exposure to domestic violence, to consider the available literature on the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child maltreatment, and to gain more understanding about the impact of exposure on children. There is clear evidence indicating that both severe and moderate violence occurs frequently in homes among family members and that children are exposed to this violence. However, because of differing definitions of what constitutes domestic violence and variability in research methodologies for collecting the data, there are significant discrepancies in prevalence reports across studies. Of great concern is the immediate impact on the children and the long-term consequences for their later relationships. Fewer studies have been done on the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child maltreatment. However, it is likely that children who live in homes where domestic violence occurs are more likely to be abused and neglected. On the basis of available research, there is little doubt that vast numbers of children are exposed to domestic violence and that children's responses vary widely depending on their risk and vulnerability, as well as the structure of their environments. A developmental risk and protective factors framework will be used to integrate the information on children's exposure to violence.     

Occupational Therapy's Role with Victims of Domestic Violence

ABSTRACT

Occupational therapists encounter individuals who are victims of domestic violence in many different settings. The role of the occupational therapist with each client depends on that client's specific needs, the treatment setting, and the skills and beliefs of the therapist. This article presents a theoretical argument for why the occupational therapist should choose to be involved in the treatment of domestic violence. The Model of Human Occupation provides a framework for understanding functional issues related to domestic violence. Methods of assessment and treatment are presented using this model. A continuum of levels of involvement including referrals for resources or treatment, direct and indirect treatment and program consultation is offered. Each level is illustrated with case vignettes demonstrating the therapist's role. Issues related to the challenge of working in domestic violence and reasons that women may refuse intervention are also discussed.     

Future Directions in Mandated Standards for Domestic Violence Offenders

Summary

Over the past decade, states have been enacting domestic violence legislation, which often empowers judges to mandate batterers into intervention programs. To insure that these programs meet reasonable standards and that there is some homogeneity among programs, collateral laws mandating the development of batterer treatment standards are also common. The standards that have emerged have become a source of controversy. The current volume was developed in order to examine the issues and evidence, and to suggest some guidelines, if not for the standards themselves, then for the process that states might use in developing rational, useful standards, or in reevaluating and revising existing standards. To that end, this article offers a synthesis of the selections in this special volume and a suggested set of recommendations that committees might consider as they engage in the difficult processes of standard development or revision.     

A Solution-Focused Intervention with a Youth in a Domestic Violence Situation: Longitudinal Evidence

This article reports on a 4-year therapeutic intervention combining in-person and email communication with a 13-year-old Greek-Cypriot teenager who witnessed and later was the victim of severe domestic violence. The intervention is based on an empowerment philosophy and solution-focused strategies, and its usefulness is evaluated by three standardized measures at five time points between the years 1999 and 2003. Pertinent cultural and ethical dynamics of the interventional context are highlighted. The intervention may have helped to produce better perpetrator–youth relations, remission of the client’s depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms, and improvement in his academic performance. Implications and limitations are discussed.     

Seeing and Being Seen: Courage and the Therapist in Cross-Racial Treatment

ABSTRACT

Correction of the patient's distortion is often the focus of therapeutic treatment. However, the therapist's distortions, based upon pre-existing fears, which themselves are often rooted in greater societal issues and energized by the work with the patient (especially as they relate to issues of racial difference between the therapist and patient), can lead to clinical impasse. Just as an effective treatment relies upon the patient's opening up to correcting distortions, so too the therapist must be able to use transference response and become vulnerable to knowing and moving beyond his own fears and distortions.     

The Effects of Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence: A Meta-Analysis and Critique

A wide range of children's developmental outcomes are compromised by exposure to domestic violence, including social, emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and general health functioning. However, there are relatively few empirical studies with adequate control of confounding variables and a sound theoretical basis. We identified 41 studies that provided relevant and adequate data for inclusion in a meta-analysis. Forty of these studies indicated that children's exposure to domestic violence was related to emotional and behavioral problems, translating to a small overall effect (Z _r = .28). Age, sex, and type of outcome were not significant moderators, most likely due to considerable heterogeneity within each of these groups. Co-occurrence of child abuse increased the level of emotional and behavioral problems above and beyond exposure alone, based on 4 available studies. Future research needs are identified, including the need for large-scale longitudinal data and theoretically guided approaches that take into account relevant contextual factors.     

The Effectiveness of Substance Abuse Treatment in Reducing Violent Behavior

The use of alcohol and other drugs has long been associated with violence. Yet relatively little is known about the effect of treatment on specific violent behaviors. This study examines violent behaviors in the National TreatmentImprovement Evaluation Study (NTIES), and assesses the extent to which treatment appears to reduce violence for each measured behavior. It also examines these reductions by gender, treatment modality, and whether the client wasa victim of violence in addition to being a perpetrator. The results indicate large reductions in violence among clients actively violent during the pretreatment period, with virtually no increase in violence among clients not actively violent during that same period, irrespective of gender, modality, or victimization status. On their face, the results strongly suggest that substance abuse treatment is effective in reducing violent behavior. Alternative explanations areproposed and assessed, followed by implications for policy, practice, and future research.     

认知行为干预防治个体晕船发生的实验研究

从心理学角度探讨晕船防治的有效方法,以降低出海作业人员的晕船发生率。本研究对某部门出海作业人员进行了认知行为干预的实验对照研究,研究对象先在陆地模拟抗晕训练,后出海航行进行检验;两组陆地训练内容均有平衡功能适应性训练,实验组外加认知行为干预。研究采用Graybiel晕动病症状和体征的评分标准进行晕船反应评估。结果表明：海训中实验组的晕船发生率、Graybiel平均年导分及其等级均显著低于对照组（P〈0．05）,初步显示：认知行为干预对晕船防治有一定效用,可作为综合防治晕船的辅助手段。