Somerset, Hunterdon, Warren Psychological Association-(SHWPA)
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: ASSESSING COERCIVE CONTROL, EVALUATING RISK, AND
PLANNING FOR SAFETY IN FORENSIC CONTEXTS
Presented by: Cynthia M. Lischick, PhD, LPC, DVS
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
8:15 AM – 10:30 -Break 10:30-10:45- Resume 10:45 - 12:45
4 Continuing Education Credits for Domestic Violence
Live Zoom Webinar
Program Level of learning: Intermediate -some basic knowledge of the content is required
Target audience: Psychologists, counselors and social workers
Program Narrative:
Assessing domestic violence within a forensic context involves complexities that require an understanding of relationship dynamics involving power and control, communication, conflict resolution, conflict suppression as well as the impact of trauma, child development, various mental health issues, and substance abuse. There is often confusion regarding the variety of terms used to describe domestic violence to include overlapping terms and disparate terms like “high conflict” that are mistakenly used interchangeably with terms like intimate partner violence (IPV). In addition, the impact of Racism, Classism, Heterosexism, Homophobism, Gender Binarism, Ageism, Ableism contributes to risk assessors’ biases and blind spots when developing safety plans and conducting custody and parenting time evaluations and/or domestic violence risk assessments. Understanding the dynamics of coercive control unique to each batterer under assessment, including the strategies and tactics on the coercive control spectrum, is crucial since there is no perfect actuarial instrument that is considered reliable and valid with all populations and no perfect clinical assessment particularly when the female is the aggressor, albeit the likelihood of that occurrence is rarer when compared to male violence against women.
The purpose of this course is to highlight the various DV terms and dynamics in order to improve quality of safety planning and risk assessments. Participants will be introduced to concept of blind spots and biases that contribute to erroneous perceptions of assessors with respect to the race, class, ethnicity/culture, gender, age, ability & sexuality of the victim and the perpetrator which can lead to mistaken assumptions, microaggressions, and biased assessments. Participants will gain a a working knowledge of Domestic Violence-Spectrum of Coercive Control Strategies & Tactics that form the course of conduct creating deleterious effects in the family’s functioning. Participants will learn skills to identify and evaluate risk and resiliency factors using the Ecological Nested Model in order to provide effective safety planning for victims. Participants will learn to conceptualize risk of harm for domestic violent perpetrators and be introduced to tools that aid in assessing dangerousness & risk of domestic batterers and for developing victim safety plans. Finally, participants will learn about in deleterious parenting dynamics unique to domestic batterers and the harm to children.
Learning Objectives
- Identify & Differentiate Various DV dynamics in order to improve quality of safety planning and risk assessments
- Learn about the dangerous blind spots, biases and erroneous perceptions of the evaluator with respect to the race, class, ethnicity/culture, gender, age, ability & sexuality of the victim and the perpetrator that can lead to mistaken assumptions, microaggressions, and biased assessments
- Exhibit a working knowledge of Domestic Violence-Spectrum of Coercive Control Strategies & Tactics that form the course of conduct
- Use skills to id & evaluate risk and resiliency factors using the Ecological Nested Model when safety planning for victims
- Conceptualize risk assessment of domestic violent perpetrators
- Learn about tools that aid in assessing dangerousness & risk of domestic batterers and for developing victim safety plans
- Understand parenting dynamics unique to domestic batterers
Dr. Lischick does not have any commercial support and/or conflict of interest for this program.
ADA accommodations available upon written request- by emailing Virginia Walters, Psy.D., no later than June 25, 2021 (cfmcfee@embarqmail.com).
Cost of this program: SHWPA Member $ 25, Non -SHWPA Member: $35
Registration Cancellations made by June 29, 2021, full fee will be refunded.
Online Registration and payment at shwpa.org OR mail a check payable to SHWPA to Mark Aronson
P.O. Box 283 Pluckemin, NJ 07978-0283 – Please include your email address with your check in order to receive the Zoom invite and link. Zoom Meeting ID & Password will be emailed to all registrants.
Continuing Education (CE) Credits (4) (For Domestic Violence) From NJPA -(Additional Fee Paid to NJPA) Sustaining Member-Free, NJPA Member - $15. Non-NJPA Member- $25. The link to NJPA to pay for CE and complete the NJPA evaluation will be provided to all registrants during the program on June 30, 2021.
Contact Virginia Walters, Psy.D. - 908 439 3456 X8 / cfmcfee@embarqmail.com
This workshop is co-sponsored by NJPA and SHWPA. NJPA is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. NJPA maintains responsibility for the program and its content.