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 can be made on the treatment. The most important goal that should be attained at the end of the phone conversation is to understand what type of intimate partner violence is his partner experiencing and the extent of the violence.
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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. Depending on her financial situation, I would give to her all the resources that can be made readily available for survivors, such as legal aid, medical care, child care, emergency shelter and transportation (Jackson-Cherry & Erford, 2014). Also I would tell her that she has the option to report him to the police, and that I, as a counselor cannot report it due to confidentiality, because I have to follow the American Counseling Association Codes of Ethics Section B.1.b and B.1.c. However, if there are children involved, and I have reasonable suspicion that he or she are being abuse than I would have to report it. For the same reason of privacy as her partner’s counselor, I cannot give her any information or specifics what we discuss during the program or during therapy (Jackson-Cherry & Erford, 2014). Subsequently, after I received this type of information, I would not confront my client because that could cause additional violence to his partner. Instead, as leader of the group he is part of, I would make an assessment of the progress each member made. This is important to understand whether therapy is working or whether I should try a different approach. Maybe my approach is not penetrating the batterer’s barrier of resistance. So, I am not obtaining compliance therefore
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. Depending on her financial situation, I would give to her all the resources that can be made readily available for survivors, such as legal aid, medical care, child care, emergency shelter and transportation (Jackson-Cherry & Erford, 2014). Also I would tell her that she has the option to report him to the police, and that I, as a counselor cannot report it due to confidentiality, because I have to follow the American Counseling Association Codes of Ethics Section B.1.b and B.1.c. However, if there are children involved, and I have reasonable suspicion that he or she are being abuse than I would have to report it. For the same reason of privacy as her partner’s counselor, I cannot give her any information or specifics what we discuss during the program or during therapy (Jackson-Cherry & Erford, 2014). Subsequently, after I received this type of information, I would not confront my client because that could cause additional violence to his partner. Instead, as leader of the group he is part of, I would make an assessment of the progress each member made. This is important to understand whether therapy is working or whether I should try a different approach. Maybe my approach is not penetrating the batterer’s barrier of resistance. So, I am not obtaining compliance therefore