The Batterer as Parent: Addressing the Impact of Domestic Violence on Family Dynamics

Moving beyond the narrow clinical perspective sometimes applied to viewing the emotional and developmental risks to battered children, The Batterer as Parent: Addressing the Impact of Domestic Violence on Family Dynamics, Second Edition offers a view that takes into account the complex ways in which a batterer's abusive and controlling behaviors are woven into the fabric of daily life. This book is a guide for therapists, child protective workers, family and juvenile court personnel, and other human service providers in addressing the complex impact that batterers—specifically, male batterers of a domestic partner when there are children in the household—have on family functioning. In addition to providing an understanding of batterers as parents and family members, the book also supplies clearly delineated approaches to such practice issues as assessing risk to children (including perpetrating incest), parenting issues in child custody and visitation evaluation, and impact on children's therapeutic process and family functioning in child protective practice.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Preface 1. The Battering Problem Defining Batterers Characteristics of Batterers Misconceptions About Batterers Summary 2. Power Parenting: The Batterer′s Style With Children Typical Characteristics of Batterers as Parents Effects on Children of Exposure to Domestic Violence Child Abuse The Batterer as Role Model Children′s Outlook on the Batterer Summary 3. Shock Waves: The Batterer′s Impact on the Home Undermining of the Mother′s Authority Effects on Mother-Child Relationships Use of Children as Weapons Against the Mother The Batterer′s Impact on Other Aspects of Family Functioning Resilience in Mother-Child and in Sibling Relationships Summary 4. The Batterer as Incest Perpetrator Review of Studies The Predatory Child Molester Versus the Incest Perpetrator Shared Tactics of Batterers and Incest Perpetrators Shared Attitudes of Batterers and Incest Perpetrators Implications of the Overlap for Professional Response Sexual Abuse Allegations in Custody and Visitation Disputes Summary 5. Impeding Recovery: The Batterer as Parent Postseparation Creating a Context for Children′s Healing Batterers′ Postseparation Conduct With Children Batterers′ Motivations for Seeking Custody or Increased Visitation Batterers′ Advantages in Custody Disputes Batterers′ Tactics in Custody and Visitation Disputes Effects on Children of Custody Litigation Summary 6. The Mismeasure of Batterers as Parents: A Critique of Prevailing Theories and Assessment Influential Theories of Divorce The Use of a Domestic Violence Typology to Assess Risk to Children Risk to Children: The Overlooked Implications of Johnston, Campbell, and Roseby′s Own Observations Summary 7. Supporting Recovery: Assessing Risk to Children From Batterers and Structuring Visitation Sources of Risk to Children From Unsupervised Contact With Batterers A Guide to Assessing Risk to Children From Batterers Structuring Custody and Visitation Summary 8. Is It Real? Assessing and Fostering Change in Batterers as Parents Steps to Change in Batterers Misconceptions Regarding Change in Batterers Evaluating Change in Batterers as Parents Creating a Context for Change Summary 9. Improving Community Responses to the Parenting of Batterers Children′s Advocates, Child and Family Therapists, and Programs for Children Exposed to Domestic Violence Custody Evaluators Family Courts Child Protection Systems and Courts With Protective Jurisdiction Parent Trainers Psychological Evaluators Batterer Programs and Fatherhood Programs Battered Women′s Programs Supervised Visitation Centers Family Lawyers and Bar Associations Police Departments Researchers Summary References Index About the Authors