October Meeting Agenda

Place:   Alpert Jewish Community Center, Senior Room

              3801 E. Willow St
              Long Beach, CA  90815
              Click to see a map

Program: What is New? Alternative Approaches to Working with Domestic Violence Victims and Offenders

Speaker: Robert Geffner, Ph.D., ABPN, ABPP

There has been substantial controversy over the past two decades about the use and misuse of different interventions with domestic violence offenders. Some have argued that traditional intervention does not change attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors for this population. Others have suggested that we need to do a better job of matching offenders and victims with the appropriate types of treatment, including an option of abuse-specific couples counseling for those who plan to remain together but are not at high risk for serious injury. Some have argued that such an approach should never be used because it always places the victim in a potentially dangerous situation. Other issues are readiness or motivation to change for both victims and offenders, substance abuse, brain impairment and neuropsychological factors, and trauma. Therefore, this presentation discusses the intimate partner violence risk factors, key issues, controversies, assumptions and opposing positions with respect to working with offenders, victims, and couples.

Robert Geffner, Ph.D, ABPN, ABPP is: Founder and President of the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Institute in San Diego, CA; President of Alliant International University’s (AIU) new Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT); Licensed Psychologist and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in CA and TX; Co-Editor-in-Chief of Haworth’s Maltreatment and Trauma Program, which also includes being the Editor of three internationally disseminated journals; and former clinical director of a large private practice mental health clinic in East Texas for over 15 years. He has a Diplomate in Clinical Neuropsychology and in Family Psychology. He served as an adjunct faculty member for the National Judicial College for 10 years, and was a former Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Tyler for 16 years. He has also been a researcher and consultant for more than 25 years.  His publications include recent treatment manuals (e.g., Treatment of Women Arrested for Domestic Violence, 2002; Ending Spouse/Partner Abuse: A Psychoeducational Approach for Individuals and Couples, 2000), edited books concerning family violence and child maltreatment (e.g., Effects of Intimate Partner Violence on Children, 2003; Domestic Violence Offenders, 2002; Children Exposed to Domestic Violence, 2000), and numerous book chapters, journal articles and research papers concerning family violence, trauma, sexual assault, child abuse, family and child psychology, custody issues, forensic psychology, neuropsychology, and diagnostic assessment. Dr. Geffner has also served on several national and state committees dealing with various aspects of family psychology, family violence, child abuse, and family la, and he has presented over 450 keynote addresses, plenaries, workshops, and seminars.

To view his booklist, click here.

Opinions expressed are those of the speaker and not necessarily those of the Council and its membership.
For more information, please log onto www.EndAbuseLB.org or contact Program Chair:
Maren Founds at (949) 433-3849 or email MarenFounds@yahoo.com