Myth #10: Partners need couples counseling.
Fact: It is the abuser alone who needs counseling in order to change behavior.
Social worker Susan Schechter says couples counseling is “an inappropriate intervention that further endangers the woman … It encourages the abuser to blame the victim by examining her ‘role’ in his problem. By seeing the couple together, the therapist erroneously suggests that the partner, too, is responsible for the abuser’s behavior.
Many women have been brutally beaten following couples counseling sessions in which they disclosed violence or coercion. The abuser alone must take responsibility for assaults and understand that family reunification is not his treatment goal: the goal is to stop the violence.” ~ Victor M Parachin, Author
With an informed community, with the help of family and friends, the cycle of abuse can be broken.
