Intimate Partner Violence Case Study

Intimate partner violence can present itself in various forms. It can be physical, sexual or emotional, or a combinations of the three. Also it is not necessary for the couple to be married, in general it is between two people that have an intimate relationship. And it is characterized by one person wanting to assert his or her power and control over the partner. The situation presented, can be a great dilemma for the counselor, the actions that he or she decides to take must be carefully thought and tailored for the specific case. For these reasons, I receive this call, I would have to ask the woman to clarify and specify the kind of threats that her partner posed. First of all, if there was any physical harm, if the threat was just verbal or if there was a weapon involved. Also if they have any children and if they do, whether the child witness the the violence or not. Most importantly I would try to create a timeline of the violence, was it just one episode or the threats were made in multiple occasions. And if they were, when did it start and how long it has been going on. Because the counselor needs to understand if it is a behavior that started before her partner came to therapy or if it a new behavior, if it has escalated or stayed the same. It is important to assess if therapy has been working, so that changes …show more content…
Because the primary goal of a counselor is the victim safety. Consequently, as a counselor I would have to provide to her all the possible services that she can use. For example, I would suggest she goes to the Marjaree Mason Center, even if just for counseling if she does not want to stay in a shelter or leave her partner. Further, I would inform her about the National Domestic Violence Hotline, which she can call at any time and any day.