Conjoint Treatment of Intimate Partner Violence: A Cognitive Behavioral Approach

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe the rationale and methods of couple-based interventions designed to treat and prevent intimate partner violence. Cognitive, affective, and behavioral individual and couple risk factors for violence are reviewed, as are therapeutic concerns regarding the use of conjoint treatment. Current conjoint treatments that are intended to reduce the incidence of abusive behavior among couples in which one or both partners have engaged in forms of psychological and/or mild to moderate physical aggression, do not engage in battering or severe violence, and desire to improve their relationships and stay together are described. We focus on our Couples Abuse Prevention Program (CAPP) that compares the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral couple therapy procedures and treatment as usual at a university-based couple and family therapy clinic. Outcomes from the CAPP project and evaluations of the other programs demonstrate the potential of judiciously applied conjoint interventions for aggressive behavior in couple relationships.

Rape, Sexual Violence, and Acquiescence in Intimate Relationships: Screening, Assessment, and Clinical Decision Making

“…Clinicians who recognize these factors are more likely to be perceived as competent by their clients, are less likely to misunderstand client behavior, and are more likely to develop appropriate interventions (LaTaillade, Epstein, & Werlinich, 2006;. This article will summarize the literature on intimate partner violence and rape and will present a framework that integrates concepts from both.…”

“…Despite cultural and social changes toward women's equality, the more intimate the relationship between victim and offender, the less likely the incident will be defined as rape (Bennice & Resick, 2003;Logan & Cole, 2011). This is important for clinicians to note because clients will likely not identify unwanted sexual events as rape (Martin et al, 2007;Bennice & Resick, 2003;LaTaillade et al, 2006), but the resulting impact may be similar to rape trauma (Basile, 1999).…”

“…Figure 1 synthesizes typologies described by Basile (1999Basile ( , 2008, Johnson (1995), Johnson and Ferraro (2000), Martin et al (2007), Olson (2002), and Simpson, Doss, Wheeler, and Christensen (2007) as a continuum of rape, violence, and coercion that fall within a range of "mild-moderatesevere" behaviors. The ranking of the behaviors in Figure 1 is based on criteria used in current IPV treatment models (LaTaillade et al, 2006;Stith, Rosen, McCollum, & Thomsen, 2004). However, these items should be seen as flexible and shifting in meaning (as if movable along the continuum based on client report).…”

“…First, it places intimate terrorism and situational couple violence on a connected spectrum, implying that many acts of violence and coercion may fall in a large grey area between clear definitions (Johnson & Ferraro, 2000;LaTaillade et al, 2006;Olson, 2002). Second, it acknowledges that "mildmoderate" events can have severe impacts to individuals and relationships, and that this reality should be weighed toward service planning.…”

Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy for Couples: An Insight into the Treatment of Couple Hardships and Struggles

“…On the contrary, when partner violence is situational and minor to moderate and when both partners agree to cease all acts of violence during therapy, CBCT can be useful in preventing the escalation of conflicts to more severe forms of violence [33,34]. Indeed, a few therapies using a CBCT framework or techniques have been developed to treat moderate intimate partner violence and show promising results in the reduction of mild-to-moderate violent behaviors [35][36][37][38]. Such therapies include interventions that promote positive interactions between partners, assertion and communication skills, increased imputability in conflicts and an understanding of the escalation of conflicts into violence.…”