Gewalt bei Paaren

Lighter forms of physical violence and especially psychological violence are common in contentious relationships and are therefore often a topic in couples' therapies. This volume provides information on the definition of violence, its prevalence in couples and the individual, partnership, social and societal risk factors for the occurrence of violence in a relationship. Various theoretical explanatory models are presented and analysed with regard to their usefulness for couples therapy. Based on a typology of violence in couples, it is made clear that different therapeutic approaches should be chosen depending on the type of violence. This requires a thorough diagnosis using functional condition analyses and questionnaires, on the basis of which the intervention can be planned.
Couples therapists will find in this volume a broad repertoire of methods that they can use to treat violence in couples when the violence takes the form of a mutually escalating process. Interventions to increase everyday positivity and to promote emotional self-opening and mutual understanding are discussed. Furthermore, interventions are presented that make it possible to break through violence when it occurs and that can be used to prevent violence. Other topics include repair talks, the use of anti-violence contracts and reconciliation rituals. Finally, results on the effectiveness of couples therapy are summarised.