The Batterer as Parent

Lundy Bancroft has 14 years of counseling and clinical supervising experience in over 2,000 cases working with batterers. He also served extensively as a custody evaluator and child abuse investigator, appeared as an expert witness in child custody and welfare cases, and led groups for teenage boys exposed to domestic violence. He has been training judges, probation officers and other court personnel on men who batter and on battering’s effects on children. He co-authored articles in the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of Contemporary Psychology and is co-creator of two nationally marketed curricula, one for working with batterers and one for teen-dating violence in schools. In addition, he completed a study for the state of Massachusetts on approaches to meeting the service needs of children exposed to domestic violence. Jay Silverman is Professor of Medicine and Global Public Health at the University of California at San Diego. He is a developmental psychologist with 20 years of experience in domestic violence, including direct counseling experience with hundreds of men who batter. He has led multiple, large-scale international and domestic research programs on issues of gender-based violence against women and girls; this work has resulted in more than 100 peer-reviewed studies. His research has included examinations of the social contextual influences on the etiology of male-perpetrated partner violence, the nature and health consequences of adolescent dating violence, history of child abuse among men who perpetrate partner violence, judicial behavior and the experiences of battered mothers in child custody cases, the role of partner violence in men’s transmission of HIV to their female partners, the nature and HIV risks associated with trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation, and the roles of partner violence in unintended and teen pregnancy, coercion regarding abortion, pregnancy loss, and infant and child morbidity and mortality. Daniel Ritchie, M.S.W., has worked with military veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and substance abuse and with children and adolescents experiencing a wide range of psychosocial issues including domestic violence. He has contributed to work published in Smith College Studies in Social Work.

• ForewordPreface1. The Battering ProblemDefining BatterersCharacteristics of BatterersMisconceptions About BatterersSummary2. Power Parenting: The Batterer′s Style With ChildrenTypical Characteristics of Batterers as ParentsEffects on Children of Exposure to Domestic ViolenceChild AbuseThe Batterer as Role ModelChildren′s Outlook on the BattererSummary3. Shock Waves: The Batterer′s Impact on the HomeUndermining of the Mother′s AuthorityEffects on Mother-Child RelationshipsUse of Children as Weapons Against the MotherThe Batterer′s Impact on Other Aspects of Family FunctioningResilience in Mother-Child and in Sibling RelationshipsSummary4. The Batterer as Incest PerpetratorReview of StudiesThe Predatory Child Molester Versus the Incest PerpetratorShared Tactics of Batterers and Incest PerpetratorsShared Attitudes of Batterers and Incest PerpetratorsImplications of the Overlap for Professional ResponseSexual Abuse Allegations in Custody and Visitation DisputesSummary5. Impeding Recovery: The Batterer as Parent PostseparationCreating a Context for Children′s HealingBatterers′ Postseparation Conduct With ChildrenBatterers′ Motivations for Seeking Custody or Increased VisitationBatterers′ Advantages in Custody DisputesBatterers′ Tactics in Custody and Visitation DisputesEffects on Children of Custody LitigationSummary6. The Mismeasure of Batterers as Parents: A Critique of Prevailing Theories and AssessmentInfluential Theories of DivorceThe Use of a Domestic Violence Typology to Assess Risk to ChildrenRisk to Children: The Overlooked Implications of Johnston, Campbell, and Roseby′s Own ObservationsSummary7. Supporting Recovery: Assessing Risk to Children From Batterers and Structuring VisitationSources of Risk to Children From Unsupervised Contact With BatterersA Guide to Assessing Risk to Children From BatterersStructuring Custody and VisitationSummary8. Is It Real? Assessing and Fostering Change in Batterers as ParentsSteps to Change in BatterersMisconceptions Regarding Change in BatterersEvaluating Change in Batterers as ParentsCreating a Context for ChangeSummary9. Improving Community Responses to the Parenting of BatterersChildren′s Advocates, Child and Family Therapists, and Programs for Children Exposed to Domestic ViolenceCustody EvaluatorsFamily CourtsChild Protection Systems and Courts With Protective JurisdictionParent TrainersPsychological EvaluatorsBatterer Programs and Fatherhood ProgramsBattered Women′s ProgramsSupervised Visitation CentersFamily Lawyers and Bar AssociationsPolice DepartmentsResearchersSummaryReferencesIndexAbout the Authors

"This highly readable, excellent text will serve professionals and students in varied fields who come into contact with families exposed to battering. The background and experiences of the authors are a major strength informing the book. The text is chock full of essential information gleaned from extensive clinical practice. A second major strength is their focus on family climate and dynamics influenced by the batterer, rather than approaching the child-parent relationship in terms of discrete incidents that may have been witnessed by the child. This approach resonates with my clinical experience, while much current research still uses an incident-based approach. I have one leg in the clinical practice world and the other in research/teaching, and from my vantage point it is exciting to read clinical wisdom and experiences summarized thematically that can inspire highly relevant empirical research. I would certainly purchase a copy of the Second Edition for my own professional use, and I wish that it were required reading for professionals intervening with children exposed to batterers, particularly chills welfare professionals."