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Domestic Violence
CASE young female comes to your office looking frightened and dishelved. She made an appointment with you earlier that day. She keeps looking around and appears to be nervous. She discloses that she was beaten up by her boyfriend who she lives with, and she thinks he is following her. She is frightened because he said he would kill her if she told anyone what happened. She tells you she also has a 3-year-old son with her boyfriend.
The most immediate need associated with domestic violence is safety. Within the first few days, after the attach the most important thing for this individual would be to remove her and her minor child from harms way. The therapist should survey the individual to determine resources and a possible existing social network that would allow her to remove her self from the domestic abuse situation. The lack of financial and social circumstances that would allow this individual from seeking shelter may be a large part of the reason she is seeking counseling.
The individual should be given all the local information on domestic violence shelters and systems. The responsibility of the counselor does not necessarily end here, though. If the individual is reluctant to relocate, for any number of reasons it may take some convincing and even some phone calls to ensure that the systems are in place and available to the individual and her child.
It should be stressed to the victim that in many cases of domestic violence the controlling nature of the abuser, as a precursor to physical abuse may isolate the individual from his or her social network, to attempt to retain control over the abused partner.
Because of this, it must be stressed...
Most importantly the individual must be aware that the cost of such a system is usually taken care of by the structure of the nonprofit group that provides it.
This individual has two advantages in the eyes of the legal system. One she is a legal domestic partner of the abuser, and two she shares a child with him. These two things make her eligible for a Domestic Violence Order, in most states. Meaning the court system will intervene for little or no money with the necessary "restraining order" to establish legal boundaries between the abuser and the abused. Yet, this is only a first step one that should be taken, or at least begun immediately. The councilor may need to provide the individual with the contact information for the local legal entity, usually legal aide or even a judge in the local court who reviews DVOs on a daily basis. Keeping in mind that often the shelter system has many of these contacts as well.
Yet, again the most important aspect of the safety plan is one associated with the removal of the individual from the violent situation. This can be done through a network of shelters and low cost methods that can ensure the victim both security and anonymity. The councilor may need to make the phone calls for the individual and begin the process of finding her a place to go, with her child and then orchestrate transportation for the victims and a limited number of their belongings. If it is unsafe to return to…
National Center for PTSD Domestic Violence Website Retrieved July 18, 2004 at: http://www.ncptsd.org/facts/specific/fs_domestic_violence.html.
Abuse Counseling and Treatment Inc. (ACT) "Types of Abuse: Financial Control" Retrieved July 19, 2004 at: http://www.actabuse.com/financecontrol.html.
Abuse Counseling and Treatment Inc. (ACT) "Types of Abuse: Isolation" Retrieved July 19, 2004 at: http://www.actabuse.com/financecontrol.html.
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