Review of treating the abusive partner - Book Report/Review Example

For example, the relatively modern concept of ‘Intimate Partner Violence’ (IPV) is introduced with its different forms in a simplified but eloquent way. The book explains that clients are a ‘heterogeneous population’ with ‘varied treatment needs’ and shows how important it is to have collaboration between the clinician and the patient and falsifies the belief that it will ‘inadvertently support abusive behavior’. The individual case formation method is divided into the following four stages; (1) stimulating and consolidating motivation to change, (2) promoting safety and stabilization by developing sobriety and assessing the need for separation, (3) enhancing relationship function through relationship skills training and education about relationships, and (4) promoting trauma recovery and relapses prevention (page 8).

The first three chapters provides explicit information about the social, psychopathological and other factors that can lead to intimate partner violence while chapters 4 to 11 are about research and treatment in depth. The beauty of this book is the practicability of the information provided. As Kimberly Bailey (2005) rightly observes 2 “The authors have created a highly readable, valuable, reference that will benefit both the seasoned clinician, as well as someone with little experience working with this population.

” In total, the writers deserve appreciation in the fact that the complex procedure of treating abusive individuals is arranged and explained in such a way that even an individual with little experience in this field can read and understand. The book shows perfection in both content and narration. Overview ‘Treating the Abusive Partner-An Individualized Cognitive-Behavioral Approach’ by Christopher M. Murphy and Christopher I. Eckhardt is unique in its class. In fact, it can be termed the most practicable book in psychology.

The book succeeds in achieving its target of introducing an individualized treatment method as against the traditional method of group counseling, which, according to the writers, has little or poor influence. The survey results and actual case histories provided in support of the arguments certainly deserve appreciation and no doubt, this is a must read for all clinicians and researchers dealing with Intimate Partner Abuse. The Practicability of the book In the words of Kimberly Bailey (2005), the practicality of this book is evident in the reproducibility of the various forms and handouts throughout the book.

This affords the clinician an opportunity to implement the techniques defined in the text through the use of assessment and/or interview guides, case formulation outlines, and client handouts. In fact, domestic violence researchers and counselors in the field have never been able to fully understand why partner abuse occurs and how they can change this behavior in every case. As a result, the group method of treatment yielded poor results. But the writers have understood from their vast experience that people are likely to respond differently to different methods of intervention, and for many men, individual treatment may be the way to go.

The problems associated with the group counseling