JUNE 2019 

Austin AMFT  Luncheon

June 2019   

AUSTIN AMFT  LUNCHEON

TOPIC

To Couple or not to Couple?

Assessment and Considerations

for

Intimate Partner Violence

Presentation Summary

Sometimes it’s hard to know whether a couple presents with intimate partner violence (IPV) or just “normal” conflict. Further, if IPV is present, is it situational/conflict violence that may be managed or is it characterological violence that is rooted in power and control? And what is the extent of either? Treatment considerations are vastly different for each of these scenarios and could mean the difference between life and death. Best practice guidelines warn against couples counseling if characterological IPV is present. However, many therapists struggle with how to properly assess and make decisions about treatment accordingly. This presentation will review IPV typologies and characteristics, strategies for assessment, and considerations for treatment.

Learning Objectives

• Audience will become familiar with typologies of IPV, specifically situational/conflict violence and characterological violence.

• Audience will learn assessment strategies for determining whether IPV is present and which type of IPV is present.

• Audience will learn how to use assessment information to make ethical decisions about how to move forward in treatment.

Quick Bio

Dr. Paulina Flasch is an assistant professor of Professional Counseling at Texas State University. She is a board certified professional counselor and is pursuing her LMFT licensure in Texas. She is originally from Sweden, but has lived, studied, and worked in several states in the United States since 2005. For close to 10 years, she has conducted research, published, presented nationally and globally, and worked clinically in the field of intimate partner and family violence. In addition to her work at the university, she has a small practice in East Austin where she specializes in couples and relational counseling, utilizing Emotionally-Focused and Attachment Therapy, as well as offers consulting services, trainings, and program evaluation: https://www.flaschcounseling.com.

This presentation is designed to be useful for all levels of training and experience.