David B. Wexler, a clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of relationships in conflict presented a workshop June 5, for mental health and family counseling professionals from installations around the Military District of Washington in the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Memorial Chapel.
The day-long presentation, called Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Strategies 2015, covered a variety of topics surrounding intimate partner violence (IPV), including how to identify couples at risk of IPV and how IPV affects children.
Despite not working directly with children, JBM-HH victim advocates and family counselors want to broaden their reach on the effects of IPV on children, according to JBM-HH Victim Advocate Coordinator Sara McCauley. Showing parents the effects of IPV on children is effective in resolving disputes before they become physically or verbally abusive.
"Military families face specific stressors- deployments, long hours, high risk positions- that the general population doesn't necessarily face," said McCauley. "Sometimes that causes tensions which lead to situational violence. This doesn't necessarily mean they are in an abusive relationship, they just aren't equipped with the tools to deal with the situational stressors."
Emphasizing the effects of IPV on children helps motivate young adults to prevent abusive situations before they come up, according to McCauley.
"A lot of times it doesn't register to parents how fighting effects kids," she said. "We offer a class called 'Children Who Witness' which talks about the effects IPV has on kids and teaches ways to help them cope with the stress of IPV."
Withdrawal is one of the most common side effects exhibited in children who experience IPV, according to McCauley.
"We work with parents to make them aware of the behaviors to expect from kids who witness IPV," she said. "Understanding as a parent how kids absorb what they witness helps put into perspective the negative behaviors that may not have been there before."
The name of the game is prevention, according to McCauley.
"The attendees were really excited about the screening tools that will assist in identifying risky behaviors seen in military couples to stop the problem at the source," she said.
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