Abstract
Intimate partner violence remains a persistent social and clinical problem with far-reaching effects for families and communities. With considerable debate surrounding its treatment, two main approaches are commonly described in outcome research and clinical practice literature: gender-specific (e.g. male-only groups) and systemic approaches (e.g. conjoint treatment for couples). Proponents of the former approach cite the risks of systemic approaches that unwittingly sustain the oppression of women, while proponents of the latter highlight the importance of addressing reciprocal patterns of violence and cumulative sources of stress upon a couple. In this review, the author describes some of the issues pertinent to this debate, highlighting areas of risk and hope. The combined use of gender-specific and conjoint treatment may be beneficial for some couples under particular circumstances. The paper closes with considerations for conducting conjoint treatment.
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The author acknowledges the anonymous reviewers and Gayatri for their help with improving the paper. Thanks must also go to Dally.
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Nandini Maharaj, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia.
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Maharaj, N. Perspectives on Treating Couples Impacted by Intimate Partner Violence. J Fam Viol 32, 431–437 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-016-9810-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-016-9810-6