Client Narratives About Experiences With a Multicouple Treatment Program for Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

A handful of clinical trials have concluded that conjoint couples treatment for intimate partner violence is safe and at least as effective as conventional batterer intervention programs, yet very few researchers have explored couples' perspectives on conjoint treatment. Using qualitative narrative analysis methodology, the researchers conducted 48 client participant interviews and five staff interviews to better understand couples' experiences of a conjoint treatment program for intimate partner violence. Themes that recurred throughout participants' narratives included (a) perceptions of safety, (b) benefits received, (c) attitudinal change, (d) behavioral change, and (e) important learning. Research directions and training implications are discussed.

Increasing Responsibility, Safety, and Trust Through a Dialogical Approach: A Case Study in Couple Therapy for Psychological Abusive Behavior

“…Relevant here is the recommendation of some authors that the treatment of IPV must be delivered by providers who understand interpersonal violence, and that it must be provided in concert with key community partners (Stith & McCollum, 2011;Todahl, Linville, Shamblin, & Ball, 2012). It is important to point out that in the therapeutic process described here, one of the therapists was an expert in the treatment of IPV; also that communication and collaboration with the social services authorities worked fluently, and that it remained constant during the entire therapeutic process.…”

Thematic review of Family Therapy Journals 2012

“…In the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy (28, supplement) there was a special section on intimate partner violence (IPV) with articles covering appraisal distortions in IPV (Whiting et al ., ), therapist, client and referrer's differing expectations and theories of change in the treatment of IPV (Ripoll‐Núñez et al ., ), and process and outcome in couple therapy for IPV (Bradley and Gottman, ; Hrapczynski et al ., ; Todahl et al ., ). In a randomized controlled trial involving 115 low‐income situationally violent couples, Bradley and Gottman () found that couples who engaged in Gottman's psycho‐educational couple therapy showed a significant reduction in IPV compared with couples in a no‐treatment control group, and this improvement was associated with an improvement in healthy relationship skills.…”

“…In a qualitative study of forty‐eight clients and five therapists, Todahl et al . () found that engaging in multi‐couple treatment programmes for IPV had the potential to facilitate experiences of safety and important learning, including attitudinal and behavioural changes.…”

Results of the Jyväskylä research project on couple therapy for intimate partner violence: topics and strategies in successful therapy processes

“…It is important to view dyadic interactions as an effort to understand both members of the couple, not as a systemic causality of violence thus allowing victim blaming. Despite promising results, little is yet known about how to promote successful outcome in couple therapy for IPV (Stith and McCollum, ; Todahl et al ., ). What seems clear from a recent review is that couple therapy has a positive impact in decreasing violence recidivism, and that couple therapy is a slightly better treatment approach than standard treatments when working with violent couples (Karakurt, Whiting, Esch, Bolen and Calabrese, ).…”

“…More recently, Stith and McCollum () have added discrepancy as an exclusion criterion, referring to the importance of both members of the couple sharing similar views about the nature and occurrence of the violence. In an effort to offer more concrete inclusion criteria, Todahl, and colleagues () propose assessing whether the primary aggressor demonstrates willingness to receive input from the other party, to weigh the latter's point of view, and in consequence change their attitudes and behaviours. This criterion resembles that proposed by Bograd and Mederos (), who argue that the perpetrator has to take responsibility and be motivated to change his or her behaviour before couple treatment is started.…”