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Accountability Campus Civil Rights Department of Education Title IX

Biden’s Pushing Ahead to the Obama Past on Campus Rape. He’ll Need Good Luck With That.

By Richard Bernstein, RealClearInvestigations December 15, 2020 Earlier this year, President Trump’s often embattled Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, established new rules on handling sexual assaults on campus to strengthen protections for accused students, almost all of them men. Joe Biden, who was the Obama administration’s point man for the policies DeVos upended, has made his displeasure […]

What are Some Informational Resources to Consider?

A wealth of domestic violence books, manuals, and other materials are available to domestic violence service providers. These are three such resources: Domestic Violence: Intervention, Prevention, Policies, and Solutions by Richard Davis. Click for ordering information The Whole Truth About Domestic Violence by James Kline. Send $25.00 (money orders or cashier’s checks only) and your mailing address […]

What does a Model Abuser Intervention Program Look Like?

One common treatment modality is an Abuser Intervention Program (sometimes called a Batterer Intervention Program). Abuser Intervention Programs are group treatment modalities for offenders who, in most cases, are referred by the courts as an alternative to incarceration. These are the features of a model Abuser Intervention Program:   Evidence-based: The Abuser Intervention Program should be based […]

What is a Model Approach to Couples Counseling?

Couples in abusive relationships often want to maintain their relationship, for a variety of reasons:   Have children in common Continue to experience mutual affection and love Lack the financial means to live separately Do not believe in divorce The Domestic Violence Focused Couples Treatment (DVFCT) is a model treatment program that has been shown […]

What if Substance Abuse is Contributing to the Domestic Violence?

Alcohol or drug abuse plays a role in at least 40% of incidents of partner abuse, according to a Department of Justice study (1). And one survey of abuse shelter staff found drugs and alcohol were involved in at least 50-60% of domestic violence cases (2). Such persons may not have been diagnosed with a substance abuse […]

Handout: Ten Steps to Anger Control

Anger is a common trigger of domestic violence incidents. These 10 steps outline the process of overcoming one’s feelings of anger: 1. Identify Feelings Take an inventory of your feelings. Name these feelings: Mad, glad, sad, angry, or what? 2. Identify Your Thoughts Clarify the thoughts that are contributing to your anger. Ask yourself: “Why must […]

Checklist: How to Run an Anger Management Group

An anger management group, often mandated by the court or by Child and Protective Services, is a widely used abuse-reduction modality. An anger management program can run from a few weeks to a full year. Many facilitators believe the ideal size is 12-15 persons. Although these courses address the standard set of verbal, emotional, and […]

Tricks of the Trade: Getting Started

Let’s assume you have your professional credentials, and now you’re beginning to work in the domestic violence field. What are some of the “tricks of the trade” that seasoned practitioners have learned? First, educate yourself about the current research – see What are the Seven Key Facts About Domestic Violence? It may turn out the research findings […]

How Can I Assess ‘Power and Control’ Issues?

There are many different factors that contribute to domestic violence. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has identified 28 social, community, personality, early childhood, and other individual factors (1). Similarly, a 32-nation study identified 24 risk factors for intimate partner aggression, of which the need for dominance was only one (2). To assess whether the […]

What Factors Should my Assessment Consider?

Domestic violence comes in many shapes and sizes. Before effective counseling or treatment can take place, an assessment needs to be done on both persons experiencing the violence. Persons who provide counseling, treatment, or other intervention services for domestic violence victims and/or offenders need to obtain information about the pattern and triggers of the abuse: […]