Domestic Violence and Lethality Assessments

Domestic violence is pervasive in our communities with 1 in 4 females experiencing abuse at the hands of a partner during her lifetime.  This presentation will discuss abusive behaviors, the cycle of violence, barriers to safety and the emotional, physical and mental impact of the victim.   Introduction and discuss of assessing lethality will be covered.  Working with and engaging survivors to identify escalation and threats to safety are crucial to reducing the chance of homicide for victims, children and the abuser in DV cases.  The goals of the presentation are to increase your knowledge of Domestic Violence, be able to identify abusive relationships, improve your understanding of lethality and to engage survivors in safety planning and strategies to leave abusive relationships safely.

Objectives:

• Define behaviors and actions linked to domestic and interpersonal relational violence

• Understand the dynamics of violence, risk and vulnerability and the concept of a trauma bond within a violent relationship

• Recognize the risks associated with lethality in domestic violence and the types of assessments available