Assessing Violent Couples

In clinical assessment of violence between members of a couple, the practitioner's focus is expanded from the abusive incident and crisis stage to a view of couple dynamics during nonviolent periods. Often, couples view the noncrisis period as the norm and true state of the marriage, and violence is seen as an aberration. Issues such as emotional dependency, fear of rejection and abandonment, and shifting power balance between partners need to be addressed. The complexities of interaction and meaning surrounding the violence as well as the role of violence in the couple system allow for selective, differential use of an array of interventions.