Domestic Violence Case Analysis Paper

There are many risk factors involved in a violent relationship. The survivor may feel stuck due to finances, children, or fear. If the survivor decides to leave there is not only the mentioned risks but also fear for life of themselves or their children, social status, and guilt to name a few risks that come with living or leaving a violent relationship. In determining lethality, questions need to be asked to determine where the client’s frame of mind sits at that time. In solution based therapy these questions can include, “What needs to happen for you to know that you are safe?” What can you do differently so that by tomorrow you can feel safer than you did today?”, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how confident are you that you can keep doing…so …show more content…
Having the client answer these questions not only tells you that they have a plan for tomorrow but helps the client produce the plan themselves and gives the sense of accomplishment/empowerment. With any domestic violence case lethality is always an issue, Donna’s is no exception. Donna’s situation has been an ongoing issue for years, and she has been coping the best way she knows how, but now Mark has involved her children which has pushed Donna to seek or want help. At this point Donna seems to be in a good frame of mind, wanting to find solutions to their issues, but with Mark resisting this can push Donna to a breaking point, therefore lethality does not need to be dismissed. Continuing to monitor lethality is important in Donna’s case as well as every domestic violence case presented. Other risks that could present themselves are environmental risks such as location of residence, social image, and religious standings in their church. If the survivor lives in poverty already then the worry of “where will we go” or “we can’t afford rent now how will I do this on my own” is a daunting thought. Even if the survivor lives in a wealthy neighborhood those same questions arise due to not having control over finances or …show more content…
“The community is a part of the life of the family, impacting opportunities for socialization, mentorship, informal guidance, and support” (Bent-Goodley, Circo, & Rodgers, 2010). One of the key factors that keep the survivor bound to the relationship is fear of the unknown. Fear of lack of finances, place to live, or support. Getting the survivor involved in their community and church gives them the support needed to take the step to leave and strength to stay gone. Make sure the survivor knows that in large their community wants them to be safe and out of harm’s way, and their community and church can assist in the process. As stated prior, solution-focused therapy is a way to provide support and empowerment for the survivor, also including cognitive behavior therapy is beneficial as well. Both therapies have been supported with research and evidence of being effective in treating survivors of domestic