Listening to Battered Women: A Survivor-Centered Approach to Advocacy, Mental Health, and Justice (Psychology of Women Book) [Hardcover]

Lisa A. Goodman (Author), Deborah Epstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2007 | Series: Psychology of Women Book

Listening to Battered Women: A Survivor-Centered Approach to Advocacy, Mental Health, and Justice presents an in-depth, multidisciplinary look at society's responses to domestic violence. Though substantial reforms have been made in the services available to battered women since the 1970s, the book shows how the public and private systems available to victims of domestic violence are still failing to meet the needs of the women who seek help. Using a feminist perspective, authors Lisa Goodman and Deborah Epstein explore and critique the current available services in three different arenas: the domestic violence advocacy community, the mental health profession, and the justice system. In recent years, the options available to battered women have expanded dramatically. However, these reforms have been made at the expense of the contextualized, women-centered focus that was once at the heart of the anti-domestic violence movement. The authors argue that a renewed focus on the principles of the early feminist movement-for example, listening to individual women's voices, promoting supportive communities, and facilitating economic empowerment, could result in substantial progress in efforts to protect and counsel battered women. A series of concrete recommendations for improvements in the advocacy, mental health, and justice systems are also discussed. Researchers interested in the field of violence, gender studies, psychology of women, mental health trauma, or family law, as well as practitioners working with the victims of intimate partner violence, will find this book to be a valuable resource in their efforts.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a must-read book for anyone concerned with ending intimate partner violence against women. Goodman and Epstein provide a thorough and critical analysis of system responses to this problem followed by concrete recommendations for improvement. Throughout, survivors' voices and experiences are central. I will recommend this book widely." -- Cris M. Sullivam, PhD, Professor of Community Psychology, Michigan State University, Lansing

"This is an important book that refocuses contemporary mental health and legal advocacy for victims of domestic violence on the roots and principles of the early battered women's movement. The authors thoughtfully critique 'one-size-fits-all' responses to domestic violence. It is a book that will be useful to domestic violence advocates in a wide variety of fields." -- Elizabeth M. Schneider, Rose L. Hoffer Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School; author of Battered Women and Feminist Lawmaking

About the Author

Lisa A. Goodman, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology at Boston College, and Coordinator of the Mental Health Counseling MA Program. She is the author of over 65 articles and book chapters on institutional and community responses to intimate partner violence; the effects of partner violence on marginalized women, including homeless, low-income, and severely mentally ill populations; and innovative community-based mental health practices for vulnerable populations. She has received grants from the National Institute of Justice and the National Institute of Mental Health to pursue research in these areas. Lisa is co-chair of the American Psychological Association's Task Force on Male Violence Against Women; co-founder of the ROAD (Reach Out About Depression) Resource Team, an advocacy project for low-income women struggling with depression in Cambridge, MA; and Director of Field Research for the Full-frame Initiative, an organization working towards social change for marginalized women.

Deborah Epstein, JD, is a Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, Director of the Domestic Violence Clinic, and Associate Dean for Clinical Education and Public Interest & Community Service Programs. She helped lead an effort to design and implement one of the nation's first specialized domestic violence courts in Washington, D.C., and served as Co-Director of the court's Domestic Violence Intake Center. Her scholarship analyzes contemporary efforts to reform systemic responses to those in abusive relationships, and suggests new ways to improve the legal system. She is Chair of the DC Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board, and has served on the DC Mayor's Commission on Violence Against Women, the DC Super¬ior Court Domes¬tic Violence Coordi¬nating Council, and the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence Board of Directors.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA); 1 edition (October 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433802392
• ISBN-13: 978-1433802393
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Abuse & Self Defense > Domestic Violence

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Must Read" For Anyone Involved in Helping Battered Women!, December 11, 2007

By 

A Critical Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Listening to Battered Women: A Survivor-Centered Approach to Advocacy, Mental Health, and Justice (Psychology of Women Book) (Hardcover)

This book proposes a radically new way of helping battered women: instead of requiring battered women to accept solutions that seem "right" to the experts but may not work for the women themselves, the women should be empowered to shape their own solutions. The book challenges advocates, prosecutors, and mental health workers to listen to battered women instead of dictating to them and to craft solutions that reflect the battered women's own needs and priorities.

The authors point out that many current policies meant to protect battered women from their abusers -- such as mandatory arrest, "no drop" prosecution, enforced separation from the batterer, and so on -- may not reflect the woman's own priorities. Of course, all battered women want to end the violence, but they also want to presreve outside sources of income, keep their families together, maintain community ties, and avoid immigration problems, among other things. Many existing policies to help battered women (often designed with white, middle-class women in mind) interfere with these priorities and can actually discourage battered women from seking help. It is time for the "experts" to realize that the woman herself is the best "expert" about her own needs.

The authors begin their book by reviewing how three different groups -- domestic violence advocates, mental health workers, and prosecutors -- have attempted to help battered women over time. They trace how a Feminist approach that emphasized empowering the battered woman gradually evolved into a system in which experts and professionals force rigid solutions onto victims. The experts and professionals mean well, of course, but they are primarily accountable to constiuences other than the women (e.g., government agencies, funding sources, professional societies) and therefore cannot be flexible even when the solutions they are forcing on women are not working for them. The authors' solution: return battered women to the center of the process and let their voices be heard the loudest.

This book represents the next generation of thinking about battered women and is a "must read" for anyone involved in helping domestic violence victims. I highly recommend it!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for all who care about preventing and responding to domestic violence, January 22, 2008

By 

Angela B. - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Listening to Battered Women: A Survivor-Centered Approach to Advocacy, Mental Health, and Justice (Psychology of Women Book) (Hardcover)

There are many books out there about intimate partner violence but none are as cutting edge as this one. This book is going to be helpful for all - from those who know little about the problem to those who are on the 'front lines' in the fight against violence against women. Goodman and Epstein are honest about the problems facing mental health providers, advocates, and those in the justice system, and they call for change on behalf of the women who need it the most - victims and survivors. The book provides an overview of the problem of IPV (its present and historical scope and impact), a comprehensive critique of each system's response within its own historical context, and future directions for us all to move in. It is full of important information and new ideas and most importantly, it's very readable. As a former domestic violence advocate, I see this as an important book for all of us in the field.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, valuable, really shifted my thinking, October 31, 2008

By 

Stuart S (Newton MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Listening to Battered Women: A Survivor-Centered Approach to Advocacy, Mental Health, and Justice (Psychology of Women Book) (Hardcover)

Any of us who are aware of and/or concerned about domestic violence walks in with a set of perceptions, biases, opinions . . . but very few of us bring a solid foundation in research and analysis of the topic. The authors have done a great job of assembling the key pieces to help us better understand the issue, the reasons that our current best efforts may not be the right ones, and offer alternatives that could have far more impact. I'd say that this is the best book on the topic that I've read.