Domestic Violence and Family Safety - A systemic approach to working with violence in families

The book aims to explore the exciting opportunities offered by a systemic approach for mental health professionals and psychotherapists when working with families and other systems where domestic violence in intimate relationships is of concern. The main purpose of the book lies in the application of systemic thinking to safety and to understanding the complexity of domestic violence on family relationships over time.  The authors outline their approach to these complex issues based on their eight years of joint experience in the Reading Safer Families project.  They draw from a broad field of family psychology and systemic psychotherapy to distil the theories, methods and techniques most helpful to practitioners working in modern public and voluntary agencies.  Their systemic approach to issues of risk, responsibility and collaboration provides a coherent framework within which to integrate practice.  The book also provides a practice orientated and detailed approach to risk assessment, risk management and family reunification.
 This book will be of interest to practitioners in clinical and educational psychology, social work, nursing, psychiatry, probation, health visiting, counselling and psychotherapy, who work with individuals living in intimate relationships where violence may be of concern, and also to practice supervisors, trainers, trainees and students in these disciplines.


Jan Cooper and Arlene Vetere are both based at Reading Safer families, in the UK.