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Thesis/Dissertation Information
- Degree Disciplines:
- Education
Notes
- Abstract:
- The study explored the experiences of domestic violence (DV) survivor mothers charged with child neglect and court-mandated to counseling. Domestic violence is one of the most overwhelming and pervasive problems confronting families and society in the 21st century. It is a growing problem in the U.S. and impacts more than 5 million Americans yearly, of whom more than 85% are female (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2003). In half of all marriages in the U.S., at least one incident of physical violence occurs, and of women abused by male partners, 30% to 80% have children who are neglected. Battered women often face child neglect charges and are mandated by the court to seek mental health counseling when they seek legal help for DV, or when it is alleged that their children have been exposed to DV (Stark, 2008). This study employed a qualitative research design with a phenomenological inquiry paradigm to answer the research question: “What are the experiences of DV survivor mothers charged with child neglect and court-mandated to counseling?” Twelve ethnically diverse DV survivor mothers between the ages of 20 and 45, in a heterosexual relationship, and with a minor child or children at the time of the DV incident were interviewed. Four major themes emerged. Women expressed (a) being beaten up by the system, (b) being placed into many programs, (c) being denied a voice in the courtroom, and (d) finding healing and empowerment through counseling. Findings reveal that DV survivor mothers’ satisfaction with law enforcement is directly related to the quality of the services provided by the officers who respond to their calls for help. The participants experienced the legal-judicial system’s response to their abuse as revictimizing interventions that seemed to hold them liable for the actions of their abusers. Findings also show that while they did not like being mandated to receive counseling, the participants found counseling to be both healing and empowering. The persona of the counselor, individual and group counseling techniques, and resources/information provided to them were felt to be instrumental in the benefits gained from counseling. These findings may be of use to policy makers seeking to inform their decision-making regarding DV survivor mothers. Findings may help furnish agency policy makers with information on victims’ needs and the role of law enforcement and suggest reconsideration of the requirements imposed on them by child protective services. DV survivor mothers’ experiences with the legal-judicial system also reveal issues in counseling that can be applied to efforts to achieve social justice in counseling. Findings of the present study provide a springboard for (a) future research on the experiences of homogeneous cultural groups of DV mothers, (b) exploring effective techniques in working with DV survivor mothers, and (c) exploring only the experiences of DV survivor mothers who have completed counseling to assess whether counseling had an effect on how they coped with the after effects of DV.
- Thesis:
- Thesis (Ph.D.)--Barry University, 2011.
- Bibliography:
- Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-159).
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Barry University
- Holding Location:
- Barry University Archives and Special Collections
- Rights Management:
- Copyright Catherine N. Ekwe. Permission granted to Barry University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Identifier:
- HV6626.2.E58 2011_EkweCatherine ( BU-Local )
- Classification:
- HV6626.2.E58 2011 ( lcc )
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