NCJ Number
145084
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1993) Pages: 267-276
Date Published
1993
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study examined abusive couples' perceptions of both the individual and interactive elements of the violence they experienced, their understanding of and reaction to the pro-arrest policy, and their feelings about the solution- focused brief therapy in which they participated.
Abstract
The solution-focused brief therapy is a treatment model based on the work of Milton Erickson. Under this model, the therapist interacts with clients to construct solutions together. The process emphasizes what has to happen in the present to eliminate the problem in the future. It also focuses on exceptions to the complaints and on existing and potential strengths and solutions rather than on the details of the problem. For domestic violence cases, this means examining methods the couple can use to avoid violent episodes and resolve conflicts satisfactorily. Forty-two participants agreed to participate in this study. Twenty-two had been arrested as the result of a report to the police; 20 were partners of someone who had been arrested for domestic violence. Information was received from 15 intact couples; seven additional batterers and five victims did not have partners involved in the therapy. Upon completing treatment, subjects were interviewed by phone regarding their perceptions of the violence in their lives and the impact of the interventions they received. Content areas included a ranking of possible individual and interpersonal issues that contributed to the violence, information about the violence itself, perceptions of the utility of reporting the violence, and a brief history of prior abuse experiences. Additional questions inquired about their satisfaction with the therapy and plans for the future. Both batterers and victims were apparently aware of key issues that contributed to the onset of violence; money and alcohol abuse problems were cited most often. Batterers generally felt the arrest laws would deter them from violence in the future. Many couples were still together after treatment and felt they had learned new ways of dealing with conflict between them. These preliminary results indicate additional research is warranted to test the utility of the model for domestic violence cases. 20 references