Screening Couples for Intimate Partner Violence

It is estimated that at least one half of couples who seek therapy have had at least one violent incident in the past year (O'Leary, Vivian, & Malone, 1992). Therapists who work with couples will almost inevitably work with people with significant risk for violence or where there is active violence. But many do not give attention to violence, and, ironically, violence is easily missed. This article's goals are to (a) sensitize couple and family therapists to the problem of intimate partner violence (IPV), (b) help therapists screen couples for violence, and (c) discuss some key considerations when there is abuse or risk of abuse. The procedures discussed here are not comprehensive; rather, this article outlines a basic protocol. The reader is referred to more comprehensive coverage of this topic (e.g., Bograd & Mederos, 1999; Holtzworth-Munroe, Meehan, Rehman, & Marshall, 2002; Schacht, Dimidjian, George, & Berns, 2009). Although this article focuses on male-to-female violence because it is more prevalent and harmful, there is also female-to-male violence and violence in same-sex couples; thus, screening is recommended for all couples.