Include Men When Screening for Domestic Violence
continued from page 15
Clinical Mental Health Counselors ( CMHCs ) may recognize symptoms of psychological abuse in clients and address that symptomatology in treatment . However , some CMHCs stop short of addressing stalking and psychological abuse as components of domestic abuse screening — even though excluding these forms of domestic violence reduces the effectiveness of screening and prevention programs . The focus on women as victims and men as perpetrators emerges from these incomplete definitions and results in skewed data on the prevalence of domestic violence .
Data from the CDC ’ s National Intimate and Sexual Violence Survey ( NISVS ) indicate that :
• About one in four women and nearly one in 10 men have experienced contact sexual violence , physical violence , and / or stalking by an intimate partner .
• More than 43 million women and 38 million men have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime .
( Statistics on the prevalence of domestic violence in the military are discussed on page 17 .)
National agencies such as the CDC aim to address the gender inconsistency in defining domestic violence by highlighting specific details of violence against men , bit . ly / 3UCoM9Q . Over the years , female perpetrators have gained more attention , partly due to increased domestic violence cases in the media and entertainment industries . For example , the recent trial involving actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard facilitated talks about domestic violence and presented the notion that the woman could be the perpetrator . Discussions about the case within the counseling community underscored that clients and mental health providers might overlook the warning signs that suggest men are victims of intimate partner violence , especially men in perceived positions of power .
Plentiful research and resources exist for identifying and preventing domestic violence , but they are tailored to women . One could argue that stereotypes of men as stronger than women and more dominant in society are amplified when considering military men — a diverse subgroup often associated with toxic masculinity , war , or combat — making it even more difficult for military men who are victims of domestic violence to be identified , and treated . ( See the box below for gender-neutral screening questions .) continued on page 17
Proposed Screening and Assessment Questions
Due to miseducation about domestic violence , screening questions should be specific . Following are some proposed screening questions that could help CMHCs determine if domestic violence may be occurring with clients :
Questions for Potential Victims of Domestic Violence
1 . Over the last 12 months , how often do you feel fearful doing or saying things around your current partner or someone you ’ re currently dating ?
2 . Over the last 12 months , how often did your partner , an ex-partner , or someone you dated :
2a . insult you or talk down to you ? 2b . yell , shout , or curse at you ? 2c . control who you see , where you go , what you do , or what you wear ? 2d . make you feel afraid or scared of them ? 2e . threaten to harm you or someone you care about ? 2f . physically hurt you ? 2g . beat , punch , kick , strangle , or hurt you with their hands or a weapon ? 2h . force , threaten , or pressure you to participate in any sexual activity when you did not want to ?
Questions for Potential Perpetrators of Domestic Violence
A screening for perpetrators may follow the same format :
1 . Over the last 12 months , how often did you do the following to a partner , an ex-partner , or someone you dated :
1a . insult them or talk down to them ? 1b . yell , shout , or curse at them ? 1c . control who they see , where they go , what they do , or what they wear ? 1d . make them feel afraid or scared of you ? 1e . threaten to harm them or someone they cared about ? 1f . physically hurt them ? ( Slap , pinch , bite , etc .) 1g . beat , punch , kick , strangle , or hurt them with your hands or a weapon ?
1h . force , threaten , or pressure them to participate in any sexual activity when they did not want to ?
16 The Advocate Magazine 2022 , Issue # 3 American Mental Health Counselors Association ( AMHCA ) www . amhca . org