NCJ Number
75139
Journal
Alcohol Health and Research World Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: (Fall 1979) Pages: 17-22
Date Published
1979
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This interview presents recommendations of counselors on how to deal with domestic violence in view of such problems as resistance to societal regulations, the need to better understand the relationship between alcoholism and domestic violence, and fragmentation of services.
Abstract
Counselors intervening in cases in domestic violence often find that protection of children and spouses from abuse is interpreted as an intrusion. To help victims, counselors themselves need to be protected. To this end, the development of basic referral procedures and the community awareness of the problem of domestic violence are needed. Since the police are usually the first to intervene into family fights, as a result of calls by neighbors or family members, one way to help families which experience violence could be the employment by the police force of professional counselors to handle such crisis situations. Another problem encountered by counselors is the lack of understanding of the relationship between alcoholism and domestic violence. Alcohol, which releases stress, often contributes to domestic violence. Those who intervene in family abuse situations should acquire knowledge about alcohol abuse. On the other hand, alcohol counselors should be trained to recognize the signs of violence and should be aware of the resources available. Another barrier to dealing with family violence in a comprehensive manner is fragmentation of services. Child abuse and neglect are handled by protective service agencies, while marital abuse is a domain of the criminal justice system. Better information exchange and coordination of services between various agencies is needed, especially since victims usually need a variety of services. For example, a child victimized by a parent may have fallen behind in school and may require tutoring assistance. Furthermore, evidence suggests that the families in which child abuse and spouse occurs are usually the same families. In addition, abusive spouses should be treated along with the victims, since, even if the battered wife gets a divorce, the abuser may remarry and the same violence will be repeated in the new family.