From Ideology to Inclusion:
Evidence-Based Policy and Intervention in Domestic Violence
 Friday/Saturday, February 15-16, 2008
Clarion Hotel Mansion Inn, Sacramento, California

Presentations available on DVD for minimal $15.00 processing/shipping charge.
Contact: domesticviolenceresearch@comcast.net

Running Time: 55 minutes. Click here to watch video on You Tube.

In this presentation, one of the most significant and respected figures in the field debunks a number of established myths about intimate partner violence.  Part 1 summarizes results from many studies which show that: (1) Women perpetrate and initiate physical attacks on partners at the same or higher rate as men. (2) Most partner violence is mutual. (3) Partner violence has multiple causes, only one of which is to preserve a patriarchal societal and family system.  (4) Motives for partner violence are parallel for men and women.  (5) Self-defense explains only a small percent of partner violence by women. (6) Men cause more fear and injury, but about a third of the injuries and deaths are inflicted by female partners.  Part 2 provides empirical evidence that these research results are often denied, suppressed or misrepresented.  This includes publications of the National Institute of Justice and scientific journals.  Part 3 argues that ignoring this overwhelming evidence has crippled prevention and treatment programs and suggests ways in which prevention and treatment efforts might be improved by changing ideologically-based programs to programs based on evidence from the past 30 years of research.

The presenter begins with the early history of the domestic violence movement, and her efforts to open the first shelter for women and their children in 1971. The early history of the feminist movement in England is

Running Time: 80 minutes.  Click here to watch video on You Tube.

Social psychological studies of groups and individuals reveal how both ward off ideas and data that disconfirm strongly held beliefs. Biased assimilation and belief perseverance refers to the differential processing of belief consonant and belief dissonant data. Groupthink refers to how social influence factors enhance this assimilation bias. We examine, with several examples, this processing feature both in social science studies of domestic violence and in government responses to the problem. All bias exists in one direction and is not, therefore, simply random error.  It exists in the direction of the “paradigm” of domestic violence (i.e. male = perpetrator, female= victim) which has its roots in Mackinnon’s Marxist notion of gender relations, and hence, associates maleness with oppression and domination and femaleness with victim-hood. These broad associative complexes color all perceptions of intimate violence as being instrumental and dominating for males, and self defensive and acceptable for females. The numerous shortcomings of this view are discussed with examples.

Part One: Marlene Moretti, Ph.D
Running Time:  1 hour.  Click here to watch video on You Tube.

In her presentation, Dr. Moretti discusses:  1) how experiences within families are related to risk for aggression and violence in adolescents’ close relationships with peers and romantic partners; 2) the impact of maternal versus paternal partner violence on the  use of aggression and violence by adolescents in relationships; and 3) the development and evaluation of a manualized, group format intervention for parents and caregivers of teens at high-risk for aggression and violence. The lessons that adolescents learn in their families about intimacy, conflict, and  aggression go far beyond simply modeling the  behavior of their parents.  It is argued that attachment representations are an important vehicle through which lessons learned within the context of interparental and family violence become internally consolidated and enacted in the relationships of adolescents with peers and partners. The Connect Program – a brief and structured intervention – is described, including evidence of program effectiveness and province wide training and dissemination.

Dr. Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling’s talk focuses on understanding adolescents as potential perpetrators and victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). She considers the degree to which relationship skill enhancement and emotion regulation strategies should be promoted as intimate partner violence prevention strategies. Dr. L-R then describes the development of a relationship-enhancement, IPV prevention program called Building a Lasting Love that she designed for at-risk adolescents. Data related to the effectiveness of conducting this intervention with pregnant teen girls, who are living in poverty, are described. Dr. L-R also speaks about her on-going efforts to modify the program for adjudicated adolescent boys who are residing in an alternative sentencing program. In addition, the policy implications of her clinical work are articulated.

Running Time: 1 hour 23 minutes.  Click here to watch video on You Tube.

It has been increasingly understood that partner and child physical abuse co-occur, but until recently, we have been unable to address critical questions including how prevalent various patterns of co-occurrence are. Furthermore, various patterns of co-occurrence in families may have implications for effective treatment.  For example, a man who is violent toward both his partner and his child would likely be best  served by a different treatment approach than a man who is violent toward his partner, not his child, and married to a partner who is violent toward both him and the child. This presentation focuses on understanding patterns of violence within families consisting of a couple and at least one child. The connections between partner and child abuse, including common and unique risk and protective factors are addressed.  Factors distinguishing individuals engaging in both partner and child aggression are discussed, and intervention implications are highlighted.

Running Time: 1 hour 4 minutes.  Click here to watch video on You Tube.

In this presentation, data is reviewed on the prevalence and patterns associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) in same-gender (that is, gay or lesbian) partnerships. Although most evidence suggests the problem is very similar in prevalence and severity, male victims and female perpetrators may have a particularly difficult time accessing necessary treatment services.  Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community agencies may be reluctant to address this issue because there is a pressure to keep the community’s “dirty laundry” under wraps particularly at a historical time when its members seek the right to marry.  Battered women’s agencies may also be reluctant to acknowledge female-on-female violence since it violates the current feminist paradigm.  Recommendations and concrete policy and practice strategies are reviewed to attempt to bridge the theoretical and gender divides.

Running Time:  1 hour 11 minutes.  Click here to watch video on You Tube.

The literature on violence tells us that for interventions to be effective they must address individual offence- related risk factors such as hostile attribution bias and poor emotional regulation. Therefore perpetrator treatment should be preceded by a thorough assessment of the risk and needs of the individual. The range of potential risks and needs to be assessed should be informed by both-the partner violence and the general aggression literature, as well as a functional assessment. Only then can the treatment be tailored to meet individual perpetrator needs. An award winning program from the UK developed for habitually violent men will be used to illustrate how these principals can be put into practice. A checklist for policy makers and clinicians is presented which will allow them to assess for themselves the evidence base for the interventions they utilize and hence invest their time and resources more strategically.

Most people suppose that domestic violence refers to a physical altercation between two adults and rarely consider its impact on children. This oversight gravely underestimates the influence that other forms of abuse (i.e., emotional or psychological) have on the families as a whole. The presenter, herself a survivor of physical and emotional abuse by an ex-partner, redefines domestic violence as family violence, and will reevaluate its players by showing the correlation between witnessing violence and subsequent behavioral problems. The primary focus is on how to work effectively with both perpetrating and victimized parents so they can effectively raise their children in a positive environment. This presentation explains how counselors and others working with family violence can reframe power and control as positive forces for change, break down parent resistance and provide skills that enhance parenting strategies. Case examples are used to allow the audience to see these abused families as real individuals and not just statistics.