Print

Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSWO 611 Social Work Practice and Intimate Partner Violence – Spring 2021

Credits - 3

Description

This course will examine policy, varying service delivery systems, funding and the role of social workers in the areas of partner abuse, child abuse, and elder abuse. This course will help students understand the context in which domestic violence practice occurs. The course will also focus on the role of the social worker in assessing for domestic violence with their clients. Culturally sensitive practice issues will be discussed and their impact on individuals seeking services. The course will also focus on developing student’s abilities in assessment and intervention techniques with both survivors and individuals that batter. The course focuses on developing students’ abilities to identify and explore ethical issues in domestic violence practice.

“Violence against women and girls is perpetuated in every country in the world. This occurs in situations of peace and conflict. However, the state agents and private actors responsible are not held to account… While the international and regional communities have established standards to prevent, punish, and eradicate violence and discrimination against women, many states have yet to take the steps necessary to implement these standards in domestic legislation and practices… We highlight the fact that women who have been subjected to violence and discrimination generally lack access to effective judicial protection and remedies. Strategies must be implemented that involve law reform, and in particular reform of the criminal justice system. Training is required for policy makers, police, judges and prosecutors. There must also be provision of legal, medical and psychological counseling and adequate social services for victims. States should use the education system and awareness-raising campaigns aimed at the general public to assist them in implementing international standards at the national level.” (Joint Declaration of the Special Rapporteurs on Women’s Rights, March 8, 2002, http://www.cidh.org/women/declaration.women.htm, retrieved: 5/2/11.)

Social workers in all fields of practice will encounter individuals whose lives are affected by Intimate Partner Violence/Domestic Violence (IPV/DV). This course will increase students’ understanding of this complex issue. Any discussion of IPV/DV must include an examination of the societal values that contribute to violence in the home. The intersectionality of race, gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion, and class will be examined for their impact on victims/survivors, children, and individuals who abuse their partners. Best practices in IPV/DV work will include screening/assessment, empowering interventions, safety planning, recognizing both the traumatic effects of DV on children as well as supports for resilience, evaluating mental health interventions/therapeutic modalities that are contra-indicated, accountability for the abuser, and the importance of inter-professional collaboration with other systems (e.g., medical, mental health, criminal justice system, etc.). IPV/DV requires that social workers engage in social justice advocacy to address institutional barriers for victims/survivors their children and individuals who abuse their partners. Students will develop skills in screening/assessment tools for working with survivors and individuals who abuse their partners. Current practices in the field of IPV/DV such as using Risk Assessments with individuals who batter in place of traditional mental health assessments will be reviewed as well as the requirements of ‘Duty to Warn.’ Students will develop skills in using empowerment practice models such as survivor therapy in working with survivors, which will include safety planning and advocacy skills with systems. Ethical practices for social workers’ engaged in providing services to victims/survivors and individuals who abuse their partners will be reviewed.

Materials

Required

Bancroft, L. (2003). Why does he do that?: Inside the minds of angry and controlling men. New York, New York: Berkley Books. ISBN: 9780425191651

Dutton, M. (1992). Empowering and Healing the Battered Woman: A Model for Assessment and Intervention. City: Springer Publishing Company. Available as ebook from UNE Library at https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uneedu/detail.action?docID=423525 

Each week has additional articles and multimedia.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

School of Social Work Program Outcomes:

Graduates of the UNE SSWO will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and leadership in the following:

  1. Practice social inclusion to enable people, populations, and communities to fully participate in society, enhance human bonds in the context of cultural diversity and ensure improved quality of life and equitable resource distribution. EPAS Competencies 2 & 3
  2. Engage in culturally-informed relationship building, being respectful of the complexity and diversity of contexts and circumstances. EPAS Competencies 3 & 6
  3. Utilize theories of human behavior, social systems and social inclusion when offering interventions with people and their environments. EPAS Competency 8
  4. Promote ethical reflection, critical consciousness and shared decision-making based in social work values and with consideration of the broader contexts of the world in which we live. EPAS Competency 1
  5. Balance the roles of helpers, activists, and advocates through collaboration with communities to build healthy and sustainable resources. EPAS Competencies 2, 5, & 6
  6. Engage as critical consumers and producers of research as it relates to assessment, intervention and evaluation of clinical and community practices. EPAS Competencies 4, 7, 8 & 9
  7. Practice person-centered and collaborative community partnerships across diverse settings. EPAS Competency 6

Course Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Practice social inclusion by working towards supporting individuals and communities of diverse cultural backgrounds in improving the quality of their life through best practices in IPV and addressing the barriers to resources to enhance safety and accountability.
  2. Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior in work with clients by use of self-reflection and self-regulation in managing personal values and maintaining professionalism in practice situations with victims/survivors, children and individuals who abuse their partners. (EPAS # 1)
  3. Critically choose and implement best practices in IPV to assess and intervene, with victims/survivors and individuals who abuse their partners. (EPAS # 7)
  4. Develop skills in interprofessional collaboration to negotiate, mediate, and advocate on behalf of victims/survivors and their children to achieve beneficial practice outcomes. (EPAS # 8)

Assignments

Learning Activities

A variety of learning activities is designed to support the course objectives, facilitate different learning styles, and build a community of learners. Learning activities for each week include the following:

Readings and Multimedia

This course will use an array of readings, website resources, and videos to present the important concepts in the various weeks. The readings and media resources provide the foundation and background for student discussion threads, the reflection journal and other written assignments.

Discussions

An important learning method in this course is student participation and interaction in the discussion forums within each week. Students are expected to participate actively and in a respectful manner. Please refer to the Discussion Board Rubric in the course for grading criteria.

Writing Assignments, Projects, and Assessments

You will have two case study assignments that add up to half of your overall grade. You will submit your case study assignment in Week 4. Throughout the term, each week you and your small group will collaborate on a Curriculum Manual. The final product will be due in Week 7.

Additionally, there are two reflective journals in this course.

Finally, in Week 6, there is too much reading to expect any one student to be able to finish on his or her own. Therefore, you will be assigned to pick from a pool of readings and write a Literature Review of your selections, to be shared with your groupmates. As each of your groupmates will also be submitting a literature review of their own, you will be able to refer to their work – and they to yours – to gain a more complete and thorough picture of the material than you would be able to do so on your own.

Grading Policy

The School of Social Work uses the following grading system for all courses with the exception of field education courses. Students are expected to maintain a “B” (3.0) average over the course of their study. Students with less than a GPA of 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 in order to receive their Master’s Degree.

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

AssignmentPoint ValuePercentage of Grade
Discussions1 group discussion, 11 whole-class discussions (3.5 points each)42%
Journals2 journals (3.5 each)7%
Week 4 Case Study Paper25 points 25%
Small Group Project26 points26%
Total100 points100%

Schedule

Week 1: Introduction to Intimate Partner Violence | Dates: Wednesday, March 3 – Tuesday, March 9

Introductory Materials

Overview – What is DV/IPV, how prevalent is it, who is affected and what is the historical perspective on this issue?

Read:

  • Bancroft, L. (2002). Why does he do that? Inside the minds of angry and controlling men. New York: Berkley. Chapters 1, 2 and 3, pp. 3–75.
  • Schwartz, M. D., & DeKeseredy, W. S. (2008). Interpersonal violence against women: The role of men. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 24(2), 178-185. doi:10.1177/1043986208315483
  • Turner, S. G., & Maschi, T. M. (2015). Feminist and empowerment theory and social work practice. Journal of Social Work Practice, 29(2), 151-162. doi:10.1080/02650533.2014.941282.

Watch:

  • Power and Control (65 mins) – CC/Transcript available.
  • Domestic Violence Network Power of Images (pick two videos from the list below; use the insights from the videos in this week’s discussion)
  • Tony Porter (Ted.com) speaks: A Call to Men (Click on CC at the bottom of the screen to access captions)
  • Public Service Announcement
  • Recommended Reading

Discussions:

Experience with IPV, Myths about Abusers

Assignments:

Case Study Paper (due in Week 4) and Small-Group Curriculum Manual (due in Week 7) introduced

Week 2: Individuals who Abuse Their Partners | Dates: Wednesday, March 10 – Tuesday, March 16

Introductory Materials:

  • Individuals Who Abuse/Batter: Behaviors & Accountability
  • Coercive Control – Beck, Connie Ph.d., Stark, Evan, Ph.D., Arizona Bar Association Annual Meeting, June 2012. PowerPoint.

Read:

  • Bancroft, L. (2003). Why does he do that? Inside the minds of angry and controlling men. New York: Berkley. Chapters 4-15, pp. 76–234.

Multimedia:

  • Understanding Domestic Violence Behaviors: Assailant Interviews (Alternatives to Domestic Aggression Batterer Intervention Program)
  • IPV (DV) What is Emerge? (5:18 minutes)
  • Harris and Zilton – Ontario Domestic Assault Reassessment

Resources about abusive men, gay and female abusers

Discussion:

Individuals who abuse their partners

Assignment:

Continue working on Case Study Paper (due in Week 4)

Week 3: Individuals who abuse their partners (Part 2) | Dates: Wednesday, March 17 – Tuesday, March 23

Introductory Materials

  • Screening for Perpetrators of Abuse/Violence in a Mental Health Center
  • Spousal Assault Risk Assessment – Used by Case Managers (in Canada) to assess for abusive behaviors of men (gay/lesbian/transgender) towards their partners.

Reading:

Choose two of the articles below:

  • Paymar, M.& Barnes, G. Countering Confusion About the Duluth Model.
  • Ganley, A. (2015). Court-Mandated/Directed Treatment for Domestic Violence Perpetrators. (This document reviews specific guidelines. The last section is pertinent to Washington State only, but it is helpful to see state policy for these groups.)
  • Gondolf, E. Program Aids & Workbooks for Batterer Programs
  • Gondolf, E. Theoretical & Research Support for the Duluth Model of Domestic Violence Intervention: A Reply to Dutton & Corvo. (Download; find this title on the main page as another option)
  • Corbin, J. (2007). Confidentiality & the duty to warn: Ethical and legal implications for the therapeutic relationship. The New Social Worker, 14, 4.
  • Roca-Sales, M., & Lopez-Garcia, G. (2017). Contemporary portrayals of women and femininity. A case study of lifestyle blogs in the U.S.Journal of Research in Gender Studies, 7(2), 186-210. doi:10.22381/JRGS72201710
  • Hilton, N. Z., Harris, G. T., Popham, S., & Lang, C. (2010). Risk assessment among incarcerated male domestic violence offenders. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 37(8), 815-832.
  • Hubbert, P. D. (2011). Transforming the spirit: Spirituality in the treatment of the African American male perpetrator of intimate partner violence. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 30(2), 125-143. doi:10.1080/15426432.2011.567113
  • Matamonasa-Bennett, A. (2015). “A disease of the outside people”: Native American men’s perceptions of intimate partner violence.Psychology of Women Quarterly, 39(1), 20.
  • Neighbors, C., Walker, D. D., Mbilinyi, L. F., O’Rourke, A., Edleson, J. L., Zegree, J., & Roffman, R. A. (2010). Normative misperceptions of abuse among perpetrators of intimate partner violence. Violence Against Women, 16(4), 370-386.

Multimedia

  • Power and Control: Sarah Beul, J.D. – Activist and Law Professor – (Time 6:07 mins)
  • Michael Paymar, Battered Women’s Movement Leader – Duluth Intervention Project (DAIP) – (Time 11:16 mins)

Discussion:

  • Couples Counseling at a Mental Health Center

Assignments:

  • Continue working on Case Study Paper (due in Week 4)

Week 4: Exploring the Impact of Gender, Culture, Race, Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation and Religious Beliefs on IPV among Diverse Populations | Dates: Wednesday, March 24– Tuesday, March 30

Introductory Materials

  • Listen to this PODCAST on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Questioning (LGBTQ) IPV  (9 minutes ).
  • IPV and Immigrants, Refugees and Asylees 
  • Resources:
    • Immigrant & Refugee Power & Control Wheel
    • Link for Power & Control Wheels for different populations
    • Culturagram – Interview tool in working with immigrants/refugees/asylees

Required Reading Assignments

  • Bent-Goodley, T. B. (2005). Culture and domestic violence: Transforming knowledge development. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20(2), 195-203. doi:10.1177/0886260504269050
  • Select one article from Week 4 Reading List

Multimedia

  • My Girlfriend Did It – Lesbian IPV- African-American and Latina women talking about societal barriers (2:03 mins)
  • Domestic Abuse: Gay Male Victim (2:14 mins)
  • Myths about abuse in lesbian relationships (video contains no audio) (2:29 mins)
  • Recommended Resources

Discussion:

What Would You Do?

Assignment:

Case Study Paper due

Week 4 Journal

Week 5: Assessment and Safety Planning for Survivors and Their Help-Seeking Experiences with Community Institutions | Dates: Wednesday, March 31 – Tuesday, April 6

Introductory Materials

  • Assessment & Safety Planning with Survivors of IPV
  • Coordinated Community Response to Domestic Violence

Required Reading

  • Dutton, M.A. (1992). Empowering and healing the battered woman: A model for assessment and intervention. New York: Springer. pp. 89-143.
  • Read one article/item from Week 5 article list

Assessment Tools and Cases

  • www.dangerassessment.org – Visit and download tools as needed
    • Danger Assessment – multiple languages
    • Danger Assessment-Revised – for use in abusive female same-sex relationships
    • Danger Assessment-Immigrant (DA-I) – for use with immigrant women
  • Watch: Between Worlds: Immigrant Women & Domestic Violence – 18:00 mins, transcript
  • Controlling Relationship Assessment Questionnaire from Invisible Chains: Overcoming Coercive Control in Your Intimate Relationship by Lisa Aronson Fontes, Copyright 2015, by Guilford Press. Adapted with permission from the authors from Dutton, M.A., Goodman, L. and Schmidt, R. J., (2006). Development and validation of a coercive control measure for intimate partner violence: Final technical report, Washington, DC.: U.S. Department of Justice. Visit the page and download practical tools.
  • Watch one or more of the following videos on Power and Control
    • Jackie Campbell, 5:24 mins
    • Debra Holbrook, 5:01 mins
    • Colleen Moore, 2:30 mins

Discussions

  • Safety Planning Domestic Violence Case
  • Individual and Community Advocacy

Assignment:

  • continue working on Small-Group Curriculum Manual (due in Week 7)

Week 6: Best Practices and Empowering/Trauma-informed Interventions with IPV Survivors Struggling with Addiction & Mental Health Issues | Dates: Wednesday, April 7 – Tuesday, April 13

Introductory Materials

  • Empowering Interventions with Survivors of IPV 

Required Reading

Choose 1 article from the Week 6 reading list for your literature review and discussion.

Multimedia

  • Therapy for Domestic Abuse Survivors – Lenore Walker (2:20 mins)
  • The Abused Woman: A survivor therapy approach with Lenore Walker from Psychotherapy.net (90 mins, requires UNE login)
  • Motivational Interviewing with Survivors of IPV
    • Session 1 of 3 (23 mins, CC provided)
    • Session 2 of 3 (16:17 mins, transcript)
    • Session 3 of 3 (18 mins, transcript)
  • Additional Resources: Trauma & the Brain (8:44 mins, transcript), more on Trauma and the brain.

Discussions

  • Group Lit Review Discussion
  • Jenna’s case

Assignment

  • continue working on Small-Group Curriculum Manual (due by Friday in Week 7)

Week 7: Children and Domestic Violence, and Teen Dating Violence | Dates: Wednesday, April 14 – Tuesday, April 20

Introductory Materials:

  • Children & Domestic Violence

Reading Assignments:

  • Kohl, P. L., & Macy, R. J. (2008). Profiles of victimized women among the child welfare population: Implications for targeted child welfare policy and practices. Journal of Family Violence, 23(1), 57-68. doi:10.1007/s10896-007-9139-2
  • McPhedran, S. (2009). Animal abuse, family violence and child well-being: A review. Journal of Family Violence, 24, 41-52.
  • Miller, L. E., Howell, K. H., & Graham-Bermann, S. A. (2014). Developmental changes in threat and self-blame for preschoolers exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV). Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 29(9), 1535-1553. doi:10.1177/0886260513511533
  • Wendt, S., Buchanan, F., & Moulding, N. (2015). Mothering and domestic violence: Situating maternal protectiveness in gender.Affilia, 30(4), 533-545. doi:10.1177/0886109915570925
  • Collins, V. E., & Carmody, D. C. (2011). Deadly love: Images of dating violence in the “twilight saga”. Affilia – Journal of Women and Social Work, 26(4), 382-394. doi:10.1177/0886109911428425
  • Insetta, E. R., Akers, A. Y., Miller, E., Yonas, M. A., Burke, J. G., Hintz, L., & Chang, J. C. (2015). Intimate partner violence victims as mothers: Their messages and strategies for communicating with children to break the cycle of violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 30(4), 703-724. doi:10.1177/0886260514535264
  • Manganello, J. A. (2008). Teens, dating violence, and media use: A review of the literature and conceptual model for future research. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 9(1), 3-18. doi:10.1177/1524838007309804
  • Cascardi, M., & Avery-Leaf, S. (2014). Case study of a school-based universal dating violence prevention program. SAGE Open, 4(3), 1-9. doi:10.1177/2158244014551716
  • Pick one additional article from the Week 7 Reading list.

Multimedia

  • The Battered Mothers Custody Conference (2018) contains a number of presentation decks by leaders in the field of domestic violence and child custody.
  • Download and review Lisa Fischel-Wolovick’s Presentation: Creating an Informed Judicial Response to Traumatic Divorce & Child Custody Litigation. Click on Lisa Fischel-Wolovick on the Battered Mothers Custody Conference page.
  • Patrick Stewart – speaking about his experience as a child witness to DV 
  • Through Their Eyes: Children’s experience of domestic violence
  • First Impressions: Impact of Domestic Violence on Children
  • Preventing Teen Dating Violence from the Inside Out (10 mins)
  • Teen Dating Abuse Survivors – Personal accounts of abusive experiences from survivors (4:24 mins, CC provided)
  • Tools and Resources for Working with Teens
  • Assessment Tools: Supervised Visitation Assessment/Planning Form

Discussions

  • Children and Violence
  • Dating Violence

Assignment

  • Small-Group Curriculum Manual is due by Friday

Week 8: Ethical Issues in social work practice with IPV/DV | Dates: Wednesday, April 21 – Sunday, April 25

Introductory Materials

  • PODCAST on Ethical Issues in IPV
  • Week 8 Lecture

Required Reading

  • Bent-Goodley. (2007). Teaching social workers to resolve ethical dilemmas in domestic violence. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 27(1-2), 73-88.
  • Black, B., Weisz, A., & Bennett, L. (2010). Graduating social work students’ perspectives on domestic violence. Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work, 25(2), 173-184.
  • Busch-Armendariz, N., Johnson, R., Buel, S. & Lungwitz, J. (2011). Building community partnerships to end interpersonal violence: A collaboration of the schools of social work, law and nursing. Violence Against Women, 17(9), 1194-1206. 
  • Recommended Reading

Websites on IPV/DV

  • Domestic Violence Evidence Project
  • Domestic Abuse Intervention Project
  • National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women
  • Special Collections: Intimate Partner Homicide Prevention, Articles, and Tools
  • Special Collections: Intersection of Domestic Violence and the Military: Working Across Disciplines
  • Supplemental Resources

Discussions

  • Ethical Practice in Working with Survivors
  • Case Study: at a Women’s Health Clinic

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Social Work page

UNE Libraries:

Information Technology Services (ITS)

ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Policies

Essential Academic and Technical Standards

Please review the essential academic and technical standards of the University of New England School Social Work (SSW): https://online.une.edu/social-work/academic-and-technical-standards-une-online-ssw/

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements

Confidentiality Statement

Student and faculty participation in this course will be governed by standards in the NASW Code of Ethics relating to confidentiality in sharing information from their placement sites and practice experiences. Students should be aware that personal information they choose to share in class, class assignments or conversations with faculty does not have the status of privileged information.

Attendance Policy

Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the full attendance policy.

Late Policy

Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

UNE Online Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations.  Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final.  Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.