Case Study: Working With Survivors Of Domestic Violence

Should we be funding Domestic Violence shelters? Domestic violence is a problem in our country with nearly 1 million women experiencing at least one incident of domestic abuse each year, (2009/10 British Crime Survey). Social-program funding is being scrutinized in the current economic climate with doubts as to whether American tax dollars should be used to help victims of domestic violence. Cutting funds for government programs that assist victims of domestic violence is not an option for many reasons. In this essay I will explore some of the many ways these programs help our fellow citizens in order to support the argument for continuing to fund said programs.

Sullivan and Bybee (1999) stated that one way that the abuser can control the victim is through social isolation, cutting off any social ties to family and friends to prevent the person from turning to someone for help. Having such ties has been helpful in the past when victimized women have left their assailants with the help of friends and family members. Aside from social support, another important support is community resources to respond to domestic violence, which is very helpful to decrease risk of abuse by their perpetrators. One of the main reasons that abused women return to their abusive partners is that they are unemployed and have no way to financially support themselves. Other resources important in reducing the risk of domestic violence are: “medical attention, child care, affordable housing and safe housing, and help from social service agencies” (p. 44).

Two Main points: What is domestic violence and how to help clients create safety nets?

The Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV, n.d.) provides training for advocates of domestic violence (DV) survivors and their families. This paper reflects my experiences as I worked through the first three sections of training: the history of the DV movement; the key requirements of DV advocacy; and safety planning. The primary thread throughout the training sections is the importance of providing advocacy based on survivor-empowerment and meeting clients where they are. In this paper, I also explore my role as a mental health counselor in an interdisciplinary response team working with survivors of domestic violence.

Many feel if they seek help, the abuser will find them and it will only get worse. The victims need to feel safe, or else they are not going to use the programs to receive help. As both of these articles reveal, these programs are not working. On the contrary, “The Seriousness of Domestic Violence Is Exaggerated” argues that it’s not because the programs are ineffective, but that it’s due to the increase in social services available. However, due to the countless studies that were done, it has been proven that this domestic abuse is a problem. Moreover, there needs to be more effort taken into putting these programs into action. Improvements in how the programs are put into practice need to be made, since how the programs are put into practice now are not efficient

Family Law Paralegals and Victims of Domestic Violence Working with victims of domestic violence can be an extremely rewarding and fulfilling endeavor. One of the most crucial aspects for a paralegal working with victim of domestic violence is adequately engaging in the task of educating oneself to understand the commonalities of such

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) impacts millions of families worldwide (Watts & Zimmerman, 2002). In fact, in the United States alone on average nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men (National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 2010). In light of this troubling information, the clinical social worker may find him or herself called upon to serve this most vulnerable population.

Battered women and abused children become dependent on these residential setting because they see it as a place of comfort. They may encounter issues but due to their situation they try to contend and manage the situation. Four care issues applicable to them are:

Abstract Despite the fact the physical effects of domestic violence could be the similar as for other forms of violent crime, the emotional effects can be much worse. Domestic violence happens when a crime is committed against a victim by someone with whom the victim is or has previously found, in a close relationship or somebody living in the same household as the victim. Domestic violence regulations differ from state to state. These variances range from conceptualization to the requirements under required reporting laws. Because of all these differences, the entire process of avoidance a domestic violence situation rest on each state. The Violence against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) has been designed to increase victim services and detention and trial of batterers. Stakeholders are persons who have an absolute interest in it, any of individuals who begin and perform it, or individuals whom it distresses directly or secondarily. Detecting and concerning stakeholders can be a huge portion of guaranteeing the efforts accomplishment. To obtain stakeholder contribution and support, it’s vital to understand who probable stakeholders are, but their interest in the effort. Since most women and men’s obtain their health care in primary care settings, health care professionals can play a critical role in decreasing the progress of domestic violence through screening and intervention in a regular bases.

Among the ages of fifteen and forty-four, domestic violence is the dominant source of trauma in our country (Domestic Violence). In the United States, primarily women and children are the ones affected by the domestic abuse. They suffer mentally, physically, and emotionally for an extensive amount of time attempting to cope with the terror. It is hard to realize that this is not only a situation that is demonstrated in television shows or movies, but this could be happening to people you encounter with on a daily basis. Some victims of domestic violence are oblivious to the signs or causes that could be developing the results of abuse, but when they recognize the situation, they have the decision to receive guidance to the solution of the overall problems.

Domestic violence victims are assisted by a victim advocacy representative; they help with housing, shelters, counseling and other financial obligations that may occur due to the traumatic events that follow being a domestic violence victim.

Also, Dawnovise explains “that recognizing the co-occurrence of domestic violence and substance abuse issues would help better understand their issues, by developing more need comprehensive interventions and services”, ( Dawnovise, 2009). Domestic violence among women in shelters is such a broad area. Residing in emergency shelters is a start to getting to the core of their ordeal and to help residents / clients open up about their issues and learn better coping skills ( Dawnovise, pp.322-323).

“The second most pressing problem facing IPV victims is the combination of a large gap in legal resources and inadequate responses on the part of the criminal justice system” (Danis, Lewis, Trapp, Reid, & Fisher, 1998, p. 386). According to this information, there clearly is a breakdown in communication on behalf of all professionals involved in assisting battered women.

Domestic Violence is a problem sweeping the nation. This problem can affect anyone from anywhere but is generally acting out upon children and adult women in abusive relationships. Domestic violence is emotionally and physically scarring for anyone involved, and as a result could take multiple intervention meetings to begin to understand the issue, alleviate the associated problems, and to assist the victim in getting back on his or her feet. The consequences of abuse include anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and self-harm. Children may begin to act differently to their usual behavior - withdrawal is very common, as is self-harming (Khan, 2012). There are two ways that people can consider interventions for victims of

Domestic Violence Intervention 1 RUNNING HEAD: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: INTERVENTION WITH WOMEN IN CRISIS Domestic Violence: Intervention with Women in Crisis COUN 604 - Crisis Counseling Liberty University DLP December 17, 2009 Domestic Violence Intervention 2 Abstract Domestic Violence is a crisis that many families have experienced. Women are often caught off guard and are unprepared for the series of battering to occur; they may be unsure of how to proceed and what they will do if they decide to leave. Crisis affects each woman differently. An individual’s personal, material, and social resources impact how a person will respond to a crisis. The individual’s resources also impact how long the person will be going through