Domestic Violence Treatment - Do You Know the Danger of Not Being Informed?

Domestic violence is a common occurrence in our society, every day, every minute. The Domestic Violence Resource Center provides the following shocking and sobering data.

* "On average, more than three women and one man are murdered by their intimate partners in this country every day."

* "The health-related costs of intimate partner violence exceed $5.8 billion each year. Of that amount, nearly $4.1 billion are for direct medical and mental health care services, and nearly $1.8 billion are for the indirect costs of lost productivity or wages."

* "Nearly three out of four (74%) of Americans personally know someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence."

* "Between 600,000 and 6 million women are victims of domestic violence each year, and between 100,000 and 6 million men, depending on the type of survey used to obtain the data."

* "One in four women (25%) has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime."

Victims and perpetrators present different intrapsychic and interpersonal dynamics that may be obvious to a trained clinician but are often overlooked by uninformed practitioners. Would YOU easily recognize the signs and symptoms of family dysfunction that may be the precursor to, or the result of, domestic violence? Would you know what to say, what to do and how to handle the situation if you knew a friend or family member was involved in an abusive and possibly dangerous relationship?

Sometimes an untrained therapist or well meaning friend or family member may actually place the victim in harm's way. How is this possible? First, the victim may attempt to downplay the situation out of fear, denial or caution. Second, the perpetrator's cognitive distortions and manipulative behaviors may fool people into taking his or her side.

Do you know the 8 most important question therapists should ask during every intake or initial history session? Do you know the most important questions friends and family members should ask their loved ones to find out if abuse is, in fact, occurring? Do you know what a dysfunctional and potentially violent family does that may be different from a non-violent, more highly functional family? These are important questions to ask and find the answers to. The life you save may actually be your own or someone you really care about.

Dr. Erica Goodstone, a Healing Through Love Mentor, has helped thousands of men, women, couples, and groups to develop greater awareness of the issues in their relationships and their lives, to overcome and alleviate stressors and discords, and to revitalize their relationships and their own mind-body-spirit connection. Dr. Goodstone can be contacted through her web site at http://www.DrEricaWellness.com.
Dr. Goodstone's colleague, Dr. Debra Wingfield, has created a Domestic Violence Virtual Treatment Training to help practitioners in the helping professions to understand, treat and handle the problems that are part of the domestic violence syndrome affecting so many families. Ask Dr. Wingfield your questions directly and listen for the answers she provides in a powerful teleseminar in which she is interviewed by Dr. Erica Goodstone. Go to http://www.ASKDrDebraW.com to ask your question.