Sub plenary: Intermate Partner Violence as a Challenge for Health Care Professionals and Family Therapists

ABSTRACT

Previous research shows that the majority of the help seeking victims of domestic violence seek help for violence-related injuries and symptoms from the social and health care sector, and social and health care workers are often the first professionals to encounter the victims of violence. Consequently, they are in a key position to identify and intervene in violence. Unfortunately, in too many cases, professionals do not ask about, identify or report violence, even in cases where violence is obvious. I will present results of the study in which the aim was to explore professionals’ processes of making sense of violence interventions and the organisational practices of violence interventions. The results indicate that developing successful practices both in identifying survivors of domestic violence and in preventing further victimisation requires a broad understanding of the effects of domestic violence and the challenges for health care professionals in dealing with it.

Offering couples treatment for the problem of intimate partner violence (IPV) is a much debated issue. Yet recent research illustrates that carefully conceptualized and delivered couples treatment appears to be at least as effective as traditional individual treatment for IPV. The research project reported here explores how intimate partner violence is addressed in couple therapy meetings. Also the use of different conversational practices, and analyse their effects on both partners’ experiences of treatment for IPV is examined.