Material Listing

Excerpt: "A radical transformation of the culture will be accomplished by creating new visions: visions of hope, not despair; visions of strength through unity, not power through domination... The role of education and action within the battered women's movement is crucial to the continuous development of a nonviolent world."

From theories based in psychopathology to "learned behavior," "loss of control," "learned helplessness," "cycle of violence," and "family conflict," this paper presents arguments against each theory and explains the current understanding of violence against women as an issue of power and control that is rooted in a larger societal context.

This article describes feminist therapy as "a supportive process that emphasizes self-determination, equality and respect, and encompasses socio-cultural explanations for intimate violence."

"To improve the health care response to victims of domestic violence, hospitals and health care systems are designing and implementing training, screening, and intervention programs. Formal evaluations of the programs are essential. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) developed a consensus-driven quality assessment tool for evaluation of hospital-based domestic violence programs. Dr. Jeffery H. Coben, while AHRQ's Domestic Violence Senior Scholar-in-Residence, based the instrument on the views of national experts who took part in an AHRQ-funded Delphi process.

Since 1993, the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence has provided support and funding for healthcare-based programs designed to improve the screening, identification, and response to victims of domestic violence. One consistent feature of these programs, and similar programs being implemented across the nation, is the provision of training for healthcare providers on the topic of domestic violence.