After ensuring safety, treatment of victims of intimate partner violence is typically focused on the adverse and traumatizing experiences and related negative emotions. In addition, in many cases, idealization of the perpetrator and maladaptive positive emotion are initial elements that also need to be taken into account. The concept of dysfunctionally stored information described in the adaptive information processing model can be viewed as being broader in nature than maladaptive negative emotions from memories for adverse experiences and can include dysfunctional defenses such as maladaptive positive emotion and idealized life experiences. Self-defeating, dysfunctional, and unrealistic idealization in a relationship can be treated through targeting, with focused sets of bilateral stimulation, specific positive affect memories that are the origin of the distorted idealization. In this way, the client is able to develop adaptive resolution, that is, a more accurate perception of both past events and the present nature of the relationship. This approach to targeting idealization defenses is illustrated with 3 case examples of women who were ambivalent about leaving a highly abusive partner.

Trauma related to sexual violence and intimate partner violence (IPV) affects millions of women, resulting in detrimental impacts to economic, physical, and mental health. Survivors are often subjected to repeated acts of violence or abuse, compounding the trauma and its effects. Participants in this mixed-methods research study included 41 women who experienced trauma related to sexual violence or IPV and were seeking counseling services at a nonprofit community agency. Quantitative assessment of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through validated measures showed statistically significant improvement in all areas after eight sessions of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Qualitative analysis through semi-structured individual interviews revealed improvements in assertiveness, self-control, functionality, and self-acceptance. Increasing access to EMDR across underserved communities, which are disproportionately affected by trauma, is discussed.

Domestic violence, and specifically, violence against intimate partners, has generated a large research literature in the last few decades, particularly in the area of policy and community response and intervention. However, less attention has been given to the use of more innovative approaches in such situations, namely the use of restorative justice (RJ) interventions for intimate partner violence (IPV). The aim of this review is to provide a general overview of how RJ approaches have been utilized in the context of IPV, systematically examine the available literature on RJ approaches to IPV, describe the interventions that have been developed and empirically tested, and synthesize the findings. This review summarizes existing empirical research and literature on RJ interventions for IPV. APA PsychNet, CINAHL, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Embase, Medline PubMed, PsychInfo, PTSD Publications, SCOPUS, Social Services Abstracts, Social Work Reference Center, SocINDEX, Sociological Abstracts, and Web of Science were systematically searched for English-language publications with no restrictions on the year of publication. As a result, 14 articles and 5 book chapters (empirical studies and reviews) on interventions were included in this review. Synthesized findings highlight the awareness and meaning of RJ, significance of community, goals and outcomes of RJ, timing of program implementation, and what types of IPV cases are best suited for RJ. Additionally, the review describes current research gaps as well as the challenges and barriers of implementing RJ interventions.

Applying a “power and control” lens to high-stakes conflicts involving a trans¹ person and their intimate partner can both illuminate and distort the true picture of what is going on. This article discusses 6 ways in which discriminatory societal structures and/or cultural beliefs specific to trans people and their families can be wielded as power and control weapons by both trans people and their non-trans partners. These same “abuse tactics” may, however, simply be evidence of a lack of collaborative problem-solving beliefs and skills. The difference between the two is illustrated using common issues likely to be faced by a couple undergoing or contemplating a gender transition. This article ends with specific issues and concerns that should be addressed when safety planning with a trans person or their partner.

Mental health practitioners have a responsibility to provide effective interventions to all their clients, accounting for each client's cultural context and values relevant to their well-being. In this study, eight therapists who have worked with Iranian-immigrant intimate partner violence (IPV) clients were interviewed to answer two questions: (a) What have therapists who work in the United States learned about challenges of working with Iranian IPV clients living in the United States? and (b) What suggestions do these thera-pists have for improving services to Iranian IPV clients living in the United States? In response to this question, six main themes were found: (a) Clients' lack of knowledge, (b) cultural acceptance that men are not accountable for their behaviors/gender norms in patriarchal culture, (c) women's sense of disempowerment (victim's role), (d) clients do not disclose IPV due to a sense of obligation, (e) clients' fear of consequences of disclosing, and (f) clients' difficulty trusting therapists and the mental health field. In response to the second question, that is, what suggestions do these therapists have for improving the services to Iranian IPV clients living in the United States? three main themes emerged: (a) clients need for knowledge and psychoeducation, (b) the services for Iranian-immigrant clients are not culturally appropriate, (c) therapists need to have a broad perspective of clients. Results add to the understanding of IPV grounded in the Iranian immigrant culture and ultimately contribute to a culturally based conceptualization of IPV among Iranian immigrants to sensitize therapists regarding culturally appropriate interventions that reflect the concerns of the Iranian living in the United States.

Sexual coercion of women is a common problem in couples that is often conceptualized as a facet of sexual assault or as a form of psychological aggression. Because psychological aggression is consistently linked to depressive symptoms, the researchers evaluated the unique contribution of sexual coercion victimization in the prediction of depressive symptoms beyond the variance explained by psychological aggression victimization. Sample 1 consisted of women living with a partner for at least a year and parenting a young child, whereas Sample 2 consisted of undergraduate students in relationships of at least 6 months. Overall, 27.4% of the women in Sample 1 and 22.8% of the women in Sample 2 reported experiencing sexual coercion victimization. Across both samples, depressive symptoms and psychological aggression victimization were significantly greater in women who experienced sexual coercion victimization. In addition, sexual coercion victimization and psychological aggression victimization each contributed significantly and uniquely to the prediction of depressive symptoms. Thus, although related to psychological aggression victimization, sexual coercion in an intimate relationship is a distinct construct. Implications for assessment, prevention, and couple therapy are discussed.

This study determines the needs of men experiencing domestic abuse from an intimate partner. In-depth interviews with 6 men who sought support are analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). Four master themes (interpreted as needs) are identified from analysis, “recognition” (of male victims and the impact), “safety,” “accepting domestic abuse,” and “rebuilding.” A need for recognition is identified as the dominant theme influencing the capacity for the 3 remaining needs to be met. Domestic abuse is generally understood to be a gendered, heteronormative experience. Abused men are not acknowledged as “typical” victims. The lack of recognition prevented participants from accepting and recognizing their victimization resulting in delayed help-seeking and prolonged abuse. A joint commitment is required from policy and practice to raise the profile of abused men, challenge wider society's prevailing norms, and embed equal status for all victims.

The mounting cost of domestic violence (DV) homicide in the United States has led to increased attention from law enforcement agencies and social organizations and the establishment of domestic violence fatality review boards or teams (DVFRTs) throughout the country. These teams are tasked with reviewing a specified set of DV-related fatality cases to determine the factors that contributed to the fatalities and whether there are changes that can be made to prevent future similar incidents. There exists, however, little to no standardization of practice and procedures among DVFRTs, resulting in wide variability among the reports they produce. The purpose of this study is to empirically analyze the content of DVFRT reports across the United States to summarize standard practices in DVFRT reporting and to inform the procedures of existing and future DVFRTs. The researchers conducted a content analysis of 47 DVFRT reports to determine what information is most typically included in these reports on state, county, and city levels. A summary of findings and recommendations for DVFRTs is included.

Previous research suggests that intimate partner violence (IPV) is a complex phenomenon that may be better understood through typological explanations. Notably, different IPV subtypes are likely to be differently related to the causes and consequences of violence. However, most typologies focus exclusively on male-perpetrated IPV and are based on highly selective samples. The aim of the current study was to define an empirically derived IPV typology that is gender-inclusive and allows for the identification of both gender symmetric and asymmetric IPV subtypes. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used as an objective method to identify the subtypes in a sample of victims of physical or sexual IPV (N = 856) from the Finnish National Crime Victim Survey (FNCVS). Five variables were used as the basis of the classification: gender of the victim, control-seeking by the perpetrator, the generality of the perpetrator's violent behavior, substance use by the perpetrator, and the bidirectionality of the violence in the relationship. The results reveal three IPV classes: IPV-only perpetrator (IOP), substance-related violence (SRV), and generally violent and controlling perpetrator (GVC). In the IOP class, the gender distribution of the victims was equal, whereas the two other classes were experienced predominately by women. Moreover, the classes were differentially associated with injuries and police reporting. While the current study replicates some previous findings, the finding of SRV as a separate IPV subtype is novel. Overall, the current study provides support for the general idea of several types of IPV, which should be acknowledged both in future research and intervention policies.

Existing research suggests that a significant stigma surrounds intimate partner violence, and this stigma can make it difficult for survivors to receive help. This article presents the results of a research study that used hierarchical cluster analysis to identify whether certain types of stigma are more likely to co-occur. Survey results revealed four clusters based on participants’ stigma-related experiences: low stigma, blamed and black sheep, shame and separation, and high stigma. Participants in the high stigma group reported the highest levels of verbal abuse. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.