NCJ Number
120979
Date Published
1989
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This outline of ideas for the American Medical Association's Conference on Family Violence focuses on the injustice of family violence, the promises and perils of family therapies, a community of interventions, and referral decisions.
Abstract
Concepts associated with the injustice of family violence emphasize the cooperation of legal and clinical systems to protect victims and provide each family member with appropriate resources. The promises of family therapies relate to successes in helping clients develop nonviolent and noncoercive familial interactions. The perils of family therapies, on the other hand, pertain to the tendency of family systems therapies and traditional marriage counseling to focus on preserving the family unit, often at the expense of the safety and welfare of abused family members. Concepts regarding community interventions identify the multidisciplinary community network of various therapies and protective services that address family violence. Concepts relating to referral decisions pertain to factors that should be considered in making a referral that will assist in protecting victims and guide them in doing what is most beneficial for them.