Intimate Partner and Family Abuse: A Casebook of Gender Inclusive Therapy - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0826121357 ISBN 13: 9780826121356

Publisher: Springer Publishing Company, 2008

Synopsis

The collected case examples are noteworthy in their diversity of presenting issue, treatment format, and outcome. As a whole, they underline our continued need to conduct assessments with clients prior to initiating treatment, to direct treatment toward identified client-related problems (in essence, meeting clients where they are), and to collect data that speaks to the effectiveness of our interventions in many settings and with many types of clients."

-Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of South Alabama

• Shows how to successfully conduct family interventions using case studies
• Includes male-perpetrated, female-perpetrated, and mutual violence scenarios
• Presents a variety of theoretical orientations
• Includes discussion questions after each case study

This casebook showcases a wide variety of couples and families whose domestic violence cases vary in their composition, ethnic and socioeconomic status, and mental health issues. The case authors outline different therapeutic approaches for each case, including cognitive-behavioral, family systems, feminist, problem-solving, and many others. Each account includes a thorough description of the assessment procedure, treatment goals and reasons for selecting a particular approach and an account of the course of treatment. The book is primarily intended for mental health professionals and graduate students in the fields of family therapy, counseling, and family violence; but will also be of value to anyone in the field of family violence and those concerned with domestic violence public policy, prevention, and intervention."

About this title

About the Author

John Hamel, LCSW, has been a court-certified Batterer Intervention Provider since 1992, headquartered in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. His clinical services included family violence assessments and treatment programs for abusive men, women, and families. Mr. Hamel has provided consultation and training to mental health professionals, batterer intervention providers, victim advocates, attorneys and law enforcement, and has served as an expert court witness in criminal and family law courts. John Hamel is also the author of Gender-Inclusive Treatment of Intimate Partner Abuse: A Comprehensive Approach (Springer Publishing, 2005) and co-editor, with Tonia Nicholls, of Family Interventions in Domestic Violence: A Handbook of Gender-Inclusive Theory and Treatment (Springer Publishing, 2006).

Review

"Intimate Partner and Family Abuse is an extremely important contribution to the relatively scant available literature on the topic. In his first chapter, Hamel does an excellent job of critiquing classic feminist theory regarding domestic violence and explaining the limitations of batterer intervention programs. He also introduces alternative theories and multimodal treatment approaches as well as discussing the importance of adequate outcome evaluations for therapeutic interventions. The remaining chapters provide fascinating case studies, in the context of the theoretical frameworks and experiences of the clinicians writing those chapters. Each chapter has useful discussion questions at the end, designed to stimulate critical thinking on the part of the readers. I believe the volume provides a promising set of approaches for individuals training to do clinical work, particularly clinical work with individuals in abusive relationships. Moreover, the cases are so believable that I think even lay readers would find them fascinating and a source of food for thought about couple and family interactions. Not every case ends with what might traditionally be seen as a "happy ending" (wherein the partners and family members work through all their problems and live happily ever after), but the chapter authors provide thoughtful evaluations of the extent to which the clients were or were not assisted by therapy and the reasons for the outcomes.

--Kathleen Malley-Morrison, EdD, Professor of Psychology, Boston University

About this edition

• Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0826121357
• ISBN 13: 9780826121356
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 408
• Editor: Hamel L.C. John