Working systemically with family violence: risk, responsibility and collaboration

Abstract

In this article we describe a project which aims to ensure prevention and continued protection from violence for family members. We outline our theoretical approach to assessment and working with violence in family relationships and the associated ethical problems. We identify three recurrent themes: risk, collaboration, and responsibility. We focus on our work with couples, where the man is violent towards the woman. Within this discussion we identify other important clinical issues.

Setting Up a Domestic Violence Service

“…We have written elsewhere of the therapeutic challenges in working with the psychological and social effects in the aftermath of violent behaviour (Vetere & Cooper, 2001). If the no‐violence contract cannot be sustained and the perpetrator of violence fails to hold themselves and their behaviour to account, we do not proceed with therapeutic work.…”

“…We have written elsewhere of the detail of our risk assessment and risk management strategy (Vetere & Cooper, 2001). Our referrers can be from social services, probation, the courts, general practice and from our local NHS Trust.…”

‘Seeking permission’: an interviewing stance for finding connection with hard to reach families

“…The therapist searches reflexively for cues to model deference to the parent, and although these may be very short episodes within the space of a meeting, they function as challenges to parental disempowerment, as well as allowing the child to step back into being safely parented. As Vetere and Cooper point out, therapists, in the aftermath of partner violence need to make the connection explicit between parenting and child behaviour ().…”

Caring or Vulnerable Children? Sibling Relationships When Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence

“…1 Within the framework of this major project, interviews were conducted with children, mothers, relatives and social workers ( Akerlund and Sandberg, 2016;Hyd en, 2016;Sandberg, 2016) as the project was inspired by a systemic approach to IPV (cf. Vetere and Cooper, 2001). The informants were recruited either from social services or through a local treatment programme for abused women and their children.…”