| Summary: | "Our book presents a safety-focused approach to working with couples who choose to remain together after one or both partners have been violent, an approach we call domestic violence-focused couples therapy (DVFCT). DVFCT can be used as a primary treatment model for couples after violence has occurred, or it can be used as an early intervention program for high-risk couples whose level of conflict has not yet escalated to the point of having been identified and charged in the criminal justice system. DVFCT has been developed and modified over 15 years of research and clinical practice. In this book, we present ways for therapists to assess for violence more accurately, decide which couples can safely be seen together and which need to be referred for individual work or for batterer intervention services, and a framework for working with couples that both addresses danger and uses the existing strengths in couples' relationships as the basis for change. We know that couples treatment remains controversial in the field of intimate partner violence (IPV). Thoughtful practitioners worry about potential risks to safety and the erosion of personal responsibility if couples are seen together. We take these concerns seriously. We also know, however, that a growing body of research findings supports the use of couples treatment and indicates no greater danger from this approach than from others common in the field. We also know that many couples seek couples therapy as part of their efforts to end the violence in their relationships and find a more peaceful and satisfying life together. Our approach is not simply traditional marital therapy with an awareness of violence added in the margins. As you will see throughout the book, we have made significant efforts to provide skilled assessment at the beginning of treatment, structural modifications to treatment sessions, and ongoing monitoring throughout to increase the safety of our clients as much as we can"--Introduction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved).
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