CSAM Domestic Violence & Mandated Treatment 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which legal doctrine requires therapists to report credible threats of domestic violence to identifiable victims?
- Tarasoff duty to warn (Correct answer)
- HIPAA privacy rule
- Brady doctrine
- Daubert standard
Correct answer: Tarasoff duty to warn
The Tarasoff ruling established that mental health professionals have a duty to protect identifiable third parties from credible threats made by clients.
Question 2: A batterer intervention program (BIP) participant minimizes violence by saying 'I just pushed her.' Which therapeutic technique best addresses this?
- Motivational interviewing to explore ambivalence
- Confront the minimization directly using accountability techniques (Correct answer)
- Accept the client's framing to maintain rapport
- Redirect to childhood trauma exploration
Correct answer: Confront the minimization directly using accountability techniques
Direct confrontation of minimization and denial is a core BIP technique that holds perpetrators accountable for the full impact of their behavior.
Question 3: Under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which provision protects domestic violence survivors in federally assisted housing?
- Mandatory relocation assistance
- Protection from eviction based solely on DV victim status (Correct answer)
- Free legal representation in all DV cases
- Automatic restraining orders upon disclosure
Correct answer: Protection from eviction based solely on DV victim status
VAWA prohibits landlords receiving federal assistance from evicting tenants solely because they are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.
Question 4: What is the primary reason standard couples counseling is contraindicated when domestic violence is present?
- It is too expensive for most DV victims
- Joint sessions may increase victim danger by encouraging retaliation (Correct answer)
- Couples therapy is not evidence-based for any population
- Insurance does not cover DV-related couples work
Correct answer: Joint sessions may increase victim danger by encouraging retaliation
Joint sessions give batterers information about victim disclosures and can escalate danger; safety must be addressed before relational work.
Question 5: Which cycle phase in Walker's Cycle of Violence is most commonly associated with victim return to an abusive relationship?
- Tension-building phase
- Acute explosion phase
- Honeymoon/reconciliation phase (Correct answer)
- Calm phase
Correct answer: Honeymoon/reconciliation phase
During the honeymoon phase, abusers express remorse, make promises, and show affection, which often persuades victims to remain or return.
Question 6: A mandated DV offender discloses ongoing substance abuse. What is the clinician's primary responsibility?
- Terminate treatment immediately and report to courts
- Address substance use as a co-occurring issue while maintaining DV accountability (Correct answer)
- Transfer to substance abuse treatment only
- Ignore substance use unless it is the stated reason for violence
Correct answer: Address substance use as a co-occurring issue while maintaining DV accountability
Clinicians must treat substance abuse as a co-occurring issue without allowing it to replace accountability for violent behavior.
Question 7: Which assessment tool is specifically designed to predict lethality risk in domestic violence situations?
- Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)
- Danger Assessment (DA) by Jacquelyn Campbell (Correct answer)
- PCL-R (Psychopathy Checklist-Revised)
- Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression
Correct answer: Danger Assessment (DA) by Jacquelyn Campbell
The Danger Assessment, developed by Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell, is a validated instrument used to assess the risk of homicide in abusive relationships.
CSAM Domestic Violence & Mandated Treatment 2
Which legal doctrine requires therapists to report credible threats of domestic violence to identifiable victims?