The Batterer as Parent 2/e

Foreword Preface 1. The Battering Problem Defining Batterers Characteristics of Batterers Misconceptions About Batterers Summary 2. Power Parenting: The Batterer's Style With Children Typical Characteristics of Batterers as Parents Effects on Children of Exposure to Domestic Violence Child Abuse The Batterer as Role Model Children's Outlook on the Batterer Summary 3. Shock Waves: The Batterer's Impact on the Home Undermining of the Mother's Authority Effects on Mother-Child Relationships Use of Children as Weapons Against the Mother The Batterer's Impact on Other Aspects of Family Functioning Resilience in Mother-Child and in Sibling Relationships Summary 4. The Batterer as Incest Perpetrator Review of Studies The Predatory Child Molester Versus the Incest Perpetrator Shared Tactics of Batterers and Incest Perpetrators Shared Attitudes of Batterers and Incest Perpetrators Implications of the Overlap for Professional Response Sexual Abuse Allegations in Custody and Visitation Disputes Summary 5. Impeding Recovery: The Batterer as Parent Postseparation Creating a Context for Children's Healing Batterers' Postseparation Conduct With Children Batterers' Motivations for Seeking Custody or Increased Visitation Batterers' Advantages in Custody Disputes Batterers' Tactics in Custody and Visitation Disputes Effects on Children of Custody Litigation Summary 6. The Mismeasure of Batterers as Parents: A Critique of Prevailing Theories and Assessment Influential Theories of Divorce The Use of a Domestic Violence Typology to Assess Risk to Children Risk to Children: The Overlooked Implications of Johnston, Campbell, and Roseby's Own Observations Summary 7. Supporting Recovery: Assessing Risk to Children From Batterers and Structuring Visitation Sources of Risk to Children From Unsupervised Contact With Batterers A Guide to Assessing Risk to Children From Batterers Structuring Custody and Visitation Summary 8. Is It Real? Assessing and Fostering Change in Batterers as Parents Steps to Change in Batterers Misconceptions Regarding Change in Batterers Evaluating Change in Batterers as Parents Creating a Context for Change Summary 9. Improving Community Responses to the Parenting of Batterers Children's Advocates, Child and Family Therapists, and Programs for Children Exposed to Domestic Violence Custody Evaluators Family Courts Child Protection Systems and Courts With Protective Jurisdiction Parent Trainers Psychological Evaluators Batterer Programs and Fatherhood Programs Battered Women's Programs Supervised Visitation Centers Family Lawyers and Bar Associations Police Departments Researchers Summary References Index About the Authors

"This highly readable, excellent text will serve professionals and students in varied fields who come into contact with families exposed to battering. The background and experiences of the authors are a major strength informing the book. The text is chock full of essential information gleaned from extensive clinical practice. A second major strength is their focus on family climate and dynamics influenced by the batterer, rather than approaching the child-parent relationship in terms of discrete incidents that may have been witnessed by the child. This approach resonates with my clinical experience, while much current research still uses an incident-based approach. I have one leg in the clinical practice world and the other in research/teaching, and from my vantage point it is exciting to read clinical wisdom and experiences summarized thematically that can inspire highly relevant empirical research. I would certainly purchase a copy of the Second Edition for my own professional use, and I wish that it were required reading for professionals intervening with children exposed to batterers, particularly chills welfare professionals." -- Amy Chanmugam