Working With Domestic Violence in the Military: The Case of Mark and Sofia

Working With Domestic Violence in the Military: The Case of Mark and Sofia

Working With Domestic Violence in the Military: The Case of Mark and Sofia

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Mark is a 28-year-old Caucasian male married 2 years to Sofia, a 26-year-old Brazilian-born

female. Mark is a United States Air Force Finance Officer and has been in the military for 5

years. The couple has no children. Both Sofia and Mark are generally in good health with no

prior domestic violence or substance abuse history. Neither Sofia nor Mark has a criminal

history.

Mark and Sofia were initially referred to the Family Advocacy Program at a military base in the

southern United States due to an incident of reported domestic violence. Sofia presented to the

local emergency room with bruising to her left eye and scratches around her face and neck. Sofia

told the emergency room doctor that her husband had been out all night drinking with friends the

evening before, and when he returned home the couple argued and her husband became

physically abusive to her. Sofia explained that he had not been physically abusive to her before;

however, he would not give her any money, and she felt very isolated being away from family

and friends in her native country of Brazil. Sofia speaks primarily Portuguese and only a little

English.

The emergency room followed reporting procedures for domestic violence, and the police and

the base were notified. The base, upon legal review, decided to take jurisdiction of this case, and

the charges in Mark and Sofia’s local jurisdiction were dismissed. Mark’s squadron commander

made the referral to the base Family Advocacy Clinic and immediately put in place a

Commander’s Restraining Order. Mark was removed from the home and told not to contact

Sofia in any manner, and she was allowed to stay in her house on base.

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Mark was active-duty military and earned a good living. Sofia had been employed in Brazil until

her marriage to Mark 2 years prior and was currently not working, largely in part due to

acculturation and language barriers. Sofia had only been living in the United States for the last

year and a half. Mark’s command was fully engaged in the safety of the couple and the treatment

planning.

Mark and Sofia presented separately and individually to the Family Advocacy Clinic for

evaluation. The case was referred to the military board for review and was substantiated. After

evaluation using a learned-behavior theoretical approach, Mark was referred for a secondary

substance abuse evaluation and the Men’s Power and Control Group. Following Mark’s

substance abuse evaluation, it was recommended he complete three classes of alcohol behavior

counseling for education. Mark did not meet criteria for a substance abuse diagnosis at that time.

Sofia was referred to individual therapy and a women’s support group. The use of an interpreter

was employed to reduce language barriers in both the evaluation and treatment of Sofia.

The goals of treatment for Sofia included having her examine in therapy the pros and cons of her

staying in the marriage and to increase autonomy and self-esteem that had been damaged by the

trauma of the domestic violence. The therapist and her group worked toward aiding her in

developing a healthy support system and to reduce the isolation she had been experiencing.

Mark’s goals for treatment included having him take full responsibility for his own abusive

behavior and to eliminate any further physical aggression in the relationship. Additionally, goals

were set to have Mark examine his own coercive or emotionally abusive behaviors and develop

new skills to address anger and frustration in intimate relationships. The group therapy aided

Mark in developing increased empathy for his estranged spouse as well as providing a supportive

social network.

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Sofia completed three individual therapy sessions and two women’s group meetings before she

decided to return home to Brazil and file for divorce from Mark. Mark’s squadron provided

financial assistance to have Sofia fly home.

Mark successfully completed his required 12-week Men’s Power and Control Group and his

substance abuse classes, and all his goals were completed. At this time there have been no further

reports of domestic violence or substance abuse with Mark, and it is assumed that Sofia has

moved on and is doing well.

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Reflection Questions The social worker in this case answered these additional questions as follows. 1. What specific intervention strategies (skills, knowledge, etc.) did you use to address this

client situation? For Sofia, an interpreter was used to minimize the language and cultural barriers in her individual treatment. She was assessed regularly for safety issues and access to resources, and a case-management approach with her husband’s command was used to facilitate these goals. Additionally, we explored any denial or minimization Sofia might have had regarding the violent incident. In group therapy, the cycle of violence was taught, and the group began to explore the negative impacts the violence had on their lives. An empathetic and gentle approach was utilized during these interventions. For Mark, an empathetic approach was also employed to enable him to have honesty and accountability for his actions. Mark was educated in group how to recognize anger signs and take time-outs. Therapy focused on educating Mark how to communicate more effectively using “I statements” and understand the steps of the cycle of violence. Mark explored his family roles in terms of male and female relationships and what a “man” was defined as, and he was asked to make a commitment to nonviolent and non-controlling behaviors.

2. Which theory or theories did you use to guide your practice?

Mark’s interventions were primarily based on the learned behavioral theory of violence, and Sofia’s interventions were largely based on the male privilege/feminist theory theoretical approach.

3. What were the identified strengths of the client(s)? Sofia’s strength’s included a close family system, being strong-willed, and no prior trauma history. Mark’s strength’s included being open to treatment and good social supports within the military. Also, it appeared that neither Mark nor Sofia had been in abusive relationships in the past or had a criminal or substance-abuse history. Finally, it was noted that Mark had not used any weapons, been physically abusive in the past, or had committed serious physical harm to anyone based on his history.

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4. What were the identified challenges faced by the client(s)?

Sofia, while having strong family supports, was geographically separated from them and had little access to money and resources. Also, language was an initial barrier. Mark’s challenges were few, save that he was mandated into treatment and could possibly face negative career consequences if he did not participate fully. This meant that initially for Mark, he was more externally driven for treatment than internally.

5. What were the agreed-upon goals to be met to address the concern? Sofia was given resources and money from her husband via his command. Mark was told clearly up front what groups, assessments, and therapy goals he needed to successfully complete in order not to experience negative career consequences.

6. Did you have to address any issues around cultural competence? Did you have to learn about this population/group prior to beginning your work with this client system? If so, what type of research did you do to prepare? Yes, an interpreter was needed up front to begin assessment and treatment processes for Sofia. Research into any general Brazilian cultural issues was conducted via a web search for the Brazilian family structure and dynamics, machismo, and general societal issues that could impact treatment.

7. What local, state, or federal policies could (or did) affect this situation? None substantially after the decision was made that the base would assume jurisdiction over the case.

8. How would you advocate for social change to positively affect this case?

Ensure that military spouses from other countries are regularly checked on by command to ensure they are being included and that any needs they may have are addressed. This is generally done via the Key Spouse Clubs in each military squadron. Some Key Spouses are more engaged than others, or often the spouse feels reluctant to join to the club.

9. Were there any legal/ethical issues present in the case? If so, what were they and how were they addressed? Not applicable (N/A)

10. How can evidence-based practice be integrated into this situation? Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and individual and group therapy evidence-based treatment were utilized.

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11. Is there any additional information that is important to the case?

N/A

12. Describe any additional personal reflections about this case. N/A

References

Paleg, K., & Jongsma, A. E., Jr. (2015). The group therapy treatment planner, with DSM-5 updates (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Wiley, pp. 121–139.