Domestic violence assessment

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Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, psychological, or technological actions or threats of actions or other patterns of coercive behavior that influence another person within an intimate partner relationship. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone.

Source: Office on Violence Against Women (OVW)

what is domestic violence?

What is a domestic violence assessment?

A Domestic Violence Assessment is for people charged with a domestic violence-related crime involving present or former romantic partners.

The purposes of the assessment are to:

  • Develop specific recommendations regarding treatment or services needed that may serve to lower the risk of re-offense.

  • Help identify other parties involved who might benefit from services

The Domestic Violence Assessment

The evaluation consists of:

  • Consent for Services

  • Testing - Questionnaire and Standardized tests are administered

  • Clinical Interview

  • Treatment Recommendations

Testing: Questionnaire and Standardized tests

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  • The Domestic Violence Inventory - Short Form (DVI-SF) evolved from the Domestic Violence Inventory (DVI) and contains variations of the six DVI scales. The DVI-Short Form assesses attitudes and behaviors important in domestic violence offender profiling. The DVI-SF has six measures (scales): Truthfulness Scale, Violence, (Lethality) Scale, Control Scale, Alcohol Scale, Drugs Scale, and Stress Coping Abilities Scale. The DVI-SF is used in courts, probation departments, community corrections, clinics, treatment programs, etc. The DVI-SF evaluates violence (lethality) potential, assesses control issues, quantifies substance (alcohol and other drugs) abuse and measures stress handling abilities.

  • The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) is a 10-item survey that looks at three domains of possible adverse childhood experiences that can negatively impact an individual’s health and well-being in adult years. These domains include abuse history, neglect, and household dysfunction to include experiences such as physical and/or sexual abuse, mental illness of a caregiver, intimate partner violence, substance abuse history, and/or incarceration of one of the caregivers in the home. Studies have shown that the higher the ACE score (4 or higher), the likelihood that this increases the risk for health problems including substance abuse, depression, intimate partner violence, heart disease, smoking, early sexual activity and adolescent pregnancy, and even early death.

  • The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is a 20-item self-report measure that assesses the 20 DSM-5 symptoms of PTSD. The PCL-5 has a variety of purposes, including monitoring symptom change during and after treatment; screening individuals for PTSD; and making a provisional PTSD diagnosis.

  • The Parenting and Family Adjustment Scales (PAFAS) is a 30-item outcome measure for assessing changes in parenting practices and parental adjustment. The parenting practice scales measures parenting practices and the quality of the parent-child relationship while the family adjustment scale measures parent’s emotional adjustments and partner and family support in parenting. Parenting consists of 4 subscales: parental consistency, coercive parenting, positive encouragement, parent-child relationship. Family adjustment consists of 3 subscales: parental adjustment, family relationships, and parental teamwork.

  • The Dimensions of Anger Reactions (DAR-5) is a brief psychometrically sound measure of anger. The DAR-5 is a 5-item self-report measure that assesses anger frequency, intensity, duration, aggression, and impact on a person’s social functioning over the preceding 4-week period. Respondents are asked how impacted they have been on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1-5.

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Although people may be charged with the same offense, each person’s risk for re-offense and their treatment needs are not the same. This Domestic Violence Assessment emphasizes individualized treatment plans. Treatment should exclusively target factors that would serve to reduce the risk of future violence.

Recommendations

 FAQs

  • This Domestic Violence Assessment is intended for individuals who have been arrested for a domestic violence related crime or who have been suspected of domestic violence in a present or former intimate relationship.

    This assessment is not intended for those who have been identified as the victim in this relationship or people who have perpetrated against someone that is not an intimate partner.

  • Assessments typically take 2-3 hours and consists of various assessments and a semi-structured clinical interview.

  • A Domestic Violence Assessment involves using evidenced based assessments, a semi-structured clinical interview, and clinical judgement based on years of experience and research. Due to these requirements, the assessment costs $500.

    This type of assessment is not covered by insurance and must be paid in full prior to the assessment.

  • The complete report and recommendations are typically ready within 2 weeks of the assessment. Results will be sent directly to your attorney or referral.

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