women who use aggression in intimate relationships christine berry, psychologist director, family...

Women Who Use Aggression In Intimate Relationships

Christine Berry, PsychologistDirector, Family Violence Prevention Initiatives

Calgary Counselling CentreSuite 200, 940 – 6th Ave SW

Intake Phone: (403) 691-5991www.calgarycounselling.com

Overview of the Presentation Who is Calgary Counselling Centre? Why is the issue of women who use

aggression so complex? Responsible Choices for Women (RCW)

group program for women who use aggression in intimate relationships

Practice implications and questions

Learning Objectives

Become aware of the contentious issues surrounding this population

Identify challenges working with women who use aggression

Provide a specific approach to working with women who use aggression

Who is Calgary Counselling Centre? Registered charitable organization

in business since 1962 Research and Knowledge based

Counselling Facility Recognized leader in the

treatment of Family violence

Women who use Aggression

Contentious Issueso A Review of Research on Women’s

Use of Violence With Male Intimate Partners (Swan, Gambone, Caldwell, 2008)

Contentious (con’t)

Women’s violence usually occurs in the context of violence against them by their male partners

Contentious con’t In general, women and men perpetrate

equivalent levels of physical and psychological aggression but men perpetrate sexual abuse, coercive control and stalking more frequently than women and women much more frequently injured during domestic violence.

Contentious (con’t)

Women and men equally likely to initiate physical violence in relation ships involving less serious situational couple violence and in relationships in which serious and very violent intimate terrorisms occur men more likely to perpetrate

Contentious (con’t)

Women’s physical violence is more likely than men’s violence to be motivated by self-defense and fear, whereas men’s physical violence more likely than women’s to be drive by control motives

Contentious (con’t) Couples in mutually violent relationships

find more negative effects for women Because of the many differences in

behaviors and motivations between women’s and men’s violence intervention based on male models of partner violence are likely not effective for many women.

Women who use aggressiono His Violence Her Violenceo Physical power Verbal powero Hits Slapso Punches walls Throws thingso Gets in her face Nagso Shoves Pusheso Grabs to restrain Gets in front

of door

Women who use aggression Pounds on table Refuses to talk Yells Sulks Raises fist Raises knife Comes home late Locks him out Cheats Withholds sex Drinks not to argue Drinks for

courage to argue

Women who use aggressiono Criticizes her all time Insults him

in public o Ignores her Makes a

scene

o Ref: Weaver Manual : Treatment of Women Arrested for Domestic Violence. 2002

Continuum of Aggression and Abuse Common Couple Aggression

o Remorseo No fear or injuryo Arguments escalateo Could happen in any family

Continuum (con’t) High Conflict

o No fearo Anger is an issueo May have sporadic physical aggression or

destruction of propertyo Do not solve problems wello May have remorseo Not emotionally abusive

Continuum (con’t)

Abuseo Sporadic physical aggressiono Name calling but not character assassinationo Apprehensiono Verbal abuseo Threats of abandonmento May be remorsefulo Aggression takes place without witnesses

Continuum (con’t)

Batteringo Isolationo Threats o Name calling that attacks charactero Regular physical abuseo Threats to kill self or others

Continuum con’t

Battering con’toJealousyoPutting down friend and familyoDestruction of propertyoMore generally violentoSelf absorbedoChange in the personality of the person being abused

Continuum (con’t)

Terrorism/Stalkingo Monopolization of perceptiono Insidious psychological abuseo Well-thought out threats to killo Torture of petso Extreme isolationo Generally more regular physical abuse but may

occur without physical abuseo Sexual humiliation and degradation

Women who use aggression In Calgary, Alberta, Canada , a

specialized community court process, HomeFront, was initiated in 2001 to offer low risk accused who were willing to take responsibility for their actions the opportunity to be mandated to treatment.

Women who use aggression

Data that looked at different phases of the project from 2001 until present indicated sex of the accused consistently 85 % male, 15 % female. (Tutty, L. Homefront presentation, 2011).

Women who use aggression

At least some of those women referred to Calgary Counselling Centre’s Family Violence Prevention Program

Women who use aggression Calgary Counselling Center has offered

groups for men who abuse for over 25 years

1995 began groups for women who abuse and modeled it after men’s groups

Published paper comparing group women mandated and non-mandated 1995 -2008

Women who use Agression

A Comparison of Women Who Were Mandated and Non-mandated to the “Responsible Choices for Women” Group

Women who use aggression

Nature of the Abuseo Physically abusive behaviors: the most

commonly endorsed were: •pushing/shoving (63%), •slapping with an open hand (46.4%), •grabbing (39.5%), and •punching with a closed fist (38.6%).

RCW San Diego 2009

Women who use Aggression

Nature of the Abuseo The non-mandated women in the RC

for Women program were statistically more likely to self report four physically abusive behaviors: • poking, • pushing/shoving, • grabbing, and pulling hair

Women who use Aggression

Nature of the Abuse Psychologically Abusive Behaviours

o The most commonly endorsed items were:• name calling (63%)• making degrading/critical comments (58%)• unfair accusations or interrogation (40.3%),

& • glaring at partner (40.2%)

Women who use Aggression 1995 - 2008 N= 261

o 58% of the women (156) were self- or counsellor-referred compared to 42% (114 women) who were mandated either by the courts, probation, or child welfare

2004 -2010 N = 139o 40.3 (56) self referred and 59.7% of the women (83)

were court, probation or child welfare referred

Women who use aggression

Challenges when working with this population o Own bias

• Not taken seriously• Attendance compliance

o Lack of therapy models• Journey to Change

o Risk assessment –

Women who use aggression

Family Violence Homicide Conference

Link to 2010 conference in Calgary,

Dobash and Dobash Murder in Britian Study

Women who use aggression

Challenges (con’t)o “I thought the women would be more

open and supportive... I was wrong”o “With men I confronted them without

a second thought, with the women confrontations were more indirect, more gentle.”

Women who use aggression

Challenges (con’t)o “It was more of a struggle to get the

women to take responsibility”o “One client openly stated she didn’t

take shit from anyone, her aggressiveness made her who she was… don’t see that ownership in men’s group”

Women who use aggression

Program Principleso Respecto Accountabilityo Safetyo Responsibility

Goals of RC for Women Program The primary goal is to assist women who

are abusive to become violence free.o decreasing all forms of abusive behaviour; o accepting responsibility for one’s behaviour;o increasing self esteem;o increasing assertive behaviour; o improving family relations;o decreasing stress;o increasing empathy toward those who have been impacted

by abusive behaviour; ando assisting parents to cease physically abusing their children.

Women who use aggressiono Before group-

• PAS, URICA • Engagement - Session Rating Scale (SRS)• Level of Distress – OQ 45 - CAGE• Persons who use Aggression in Intimate Relationships • Time Outs• When Contemplative go to group

o

Women who use aggression

30 hour group Male/female facilitator team 10 women in group 3 partner checks during time of

treatment Pre/Post measures

Women who use aggression

Pre onlyo Trauma Symptom Checklist – 40

(TSCL-40)Briere

Women who use aggression

Pre and posto Abuse of Partner Scales: Physical and

Non-Physical (Hudson, 1992)o Partner Abuse Scales: Physical and

Non-Physical (Hudson, 1992)o Generalized Contentment Scale

(Hudson, 1992)o Outcome Questionnaire (OQ 45.2)

Women who use aggression Pre and Post o Fam –III Dyadic Relationship Scaleo The University of Rhode Island Change

Assessment – Domestic Violence (URICA-DV)

o Marlowe Crowne Social Desirability Test Short Form (Reynolds, 1982)

Women who use Aggressiono Rosenberg Self-Esteem Index

(Rosenberg, 1965)o The Personality Assessment Screener o Index of Clinical Stress (Hudson,

1992)

Women who use Aggression

Key Themes Safety Checks all sessions

o Operationalize Abuse and violence in intimate relationships• - House of Abuse

o Taking Responsibility • Turning Points Women who Abuse. video

Women who use Aggression

Themes (Con’t)oOwning and Dealing with anger and abuse in conflict situations-

• Responsibility Logs

oChallenging beliefs• Gender

Women who use aggression

Themes (con’t) o How beliefs support abuse

• Karpman’s Triangle

o Participant’s affect• Iceberg concept

o Eliminating abuse from lives • Power cards

Women who use Aggression

Themes (con’t)oSpirituality

• Wisedom Cards

oBecoming responsible for taking a stand against violence

• Perspective Taking (Empty Chair)

Women who use aggression

Themes (con’t)o Commitment to work continuously on

non-violenceo Gateway to healthy, non abusive

relationships

Women who use aggression

Turning Point –Women who Abuse, 28 minutes in totalo Kinetic Video

• info@kineticvideo.com

Women who use aggression

Perspective taking- empty chair exercise

Women who use aggression

Practice Implicationso Partner checks with males- what are

we learning from themo Addictions -o Traumao Mental health o Mutual abuse

Women who use aggression

Discussion

Women who use aggression References Alyce LaViolette- Continuum of Aggression and Abuse, 2006.

Conference on Family Violence Treatment, Calgary 2006. Koonin M., Cabarcas, A., Geffner, R. (2002) Treatment of

Women Arrested for Domestic Violence: Women Ending Abusive/Violent Episodes Respectfully. (Weaver Manual)

Swan, S.C., Gambone, L.J., Caldwell, J. E., Sullivan, T.P., Snow, D. K. A. (2008).A Review of Research on Women’s Use of Violence With Male Intimate Partners. Violence and Victims Volume 23, Number 3.

Women who use aggression Tutty L., Babins-Wagner, R., Rothery, M. (2009).A

Comparison of Women who were Mandated and Nonmandated to the “Responsible Choices for Women” Group. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma 18:770-793.