Domestic Violence and Counseling Approaches

This article discusses domestic violence and the counseling approaches used to help victims. It covers the effects of domestic violence, the importance of public awareness, and the narrative and cognitive behavioral therapy approaches used by counselors.

Introduction to HR1
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Introduction to HR2
Question 1
Domestic violence refers to the act of abusing power in the context an intimate partner
relationship and sometimes after separation from a relationship. It involves physical, verbal,
sexual, psychological or emotional abuse and financial deprivation (Jonge & Alice 2018, p 476).
Domestic violence counselors provide the necessary support to the victims and develop skills
needed to walk away from these abusive relationships. Gender, religion, ethnicity, age, race,
culture, or sex does not mitigate domestic violence. Women are more likely to experience
domestic abuse as the high numbers of reported cases are women, while the percentage is
negligible for men.
Domestic violence falls under the domain and practice of family violence. Family violence
describes an existing, serious and complex public policy concern. It affects women, children, and
men. It is the prime cause of illness, hardship, homelessness and may lead to the death of the
victims (Jonge & Alice 2018, p 479). It is also notable that most victims of this violence do not
have access to the help needed. Most victims keep quiet about the situation due to
embarrassment and other social aspects. Women are the most affected by the domestic abuse,
and the main target is on them. Women are more likely to be killed by their spouses than by
anyone else anywhere. Also, most women are likely not to report violent incidents to authorities
in the event the perpetrator is the current spouse. Domestic violence is one of the most serious
social problems. Creating public awareness on domestic violence would help reduce the rates of
occurrences and also help the victims seek the much needed support from the domestic violence
counselors and social support (Whitaker et al, 2013, p 184).

Introduction to HR3
Question 3
Narrative therapy approach describes helping victims or clients to talk about problems they are
facing as if they are telling a story (Lenz et al., 2012). It has several effects; it assists clients to
express themselves and view problems as external to themselves and not an intrinsic part of an
individual. A client is also able to see how a problem such as domestic violence affects their
lives both negatively and positively, assisting them develops compassion for them and improves
their situations. The narrative approach also presents favorable circumstances for the counselor
and client to come up with narratives for the client to picture what their lives would be like
without the problem in question. Narrative helps inform future behavior, gain distance in regards
to the problem and it is also used to guide clients into discerning causality that led them to the
problem (Lenz et al. 2012).
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Approach states that behaviors are learned. It’s a framework
where counselors work with clients to understand the cognitive and thought patterns of
individuals. It deals with what’s currently affecting one at that particular moment. Focuses on
problem-solving and provides a different interpretation of one’s environment (Hunter, Button &
Westra 2014, p 206). The cognitive behavioral therapy approach denotes that consistent
maladaptive thoughts and related behaviors can cause presenting problems for the client going
through counseling. For this approach, form a problem list, then the problem diagnosed,
followed by working hypothesis, then establishing of strengths and assets and finally the
counselor comes up with a treatment plan for the victim of domestic violence.

Introduction to HR4
List of References
De Jonge, A 2018, 'Corporate Social Responsibility Through a Feminist Lens: Domestic
Violence and the Workplace in the 21st Century', Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 148, no. 3, pp.
471-487. Available from: 10.1007/s10551-015-3010-9. [19 April 2018].
Hunter, J, Button, M, & Westra, H 2014, 'Ambivalence and Alliance Ruptures in Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy for Generalized Anxiety', Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 43, 3, pp. 201-208,
Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 20 April 2018
Lenz, A, Zamarripa, M, & Fuentes, S 2012, 'A Narrative Approach to Terminating
Therapy', Journal Of Professional Counseling: Practice, Theory & Research, 39, 2, pp. 2-13,
Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson), EBSCOhost, viewed 19 April 2018.
Whitaker, D. J., Murphy, C. M., Eckhardt, C. I., Hodges, A. E., & Cowart, M. (2013).
Effectiveness of primary prevention efforts for intimate partner violence. Partner Abuse,
4(2),175-195