April - June 2010 - Bureau of Police Research and Development

Domestic Violence against Women and Role of Counselling: Some ReflectionsIt helps not only tounderstand andalleviate a large numberof problems causingdisharmony but alsomaladjustments in therelationships. Thispaper describes howcounselling, a solutionfocused approach cannot only be used forpreventing andmanaging domesticviolence but also helpwomen to rediscoverand reconnect withtheir resourcefulnessexperience. This may further prevent them fromtaking a vital step of acknowledging that they arein a violent situation, which is an essential steptowards seeking help. All this makes it evenmore essential to dispel these myths both atindividual and community level 14 .AreasThen next step is to identify the general areas ofattention such as self identify, efficacy, medicalcare, mental health, emotional health in order toprevent, avoid or cope up with violent situations.On the other hand while working with the abuserit is also important to identify their basic needsbecause non-fulfillment of basic needs issometimes the reason for violent behaviour. Oncethese needs are identified and deficiencies aremet with, the individuals may tend to becomeless inclined to satisfy their deficiencies throughviolent behaviour and emotional distress 15 . Overallcounselling provides the basic ingredients thatbroaden the women's awareness regardingthemselves, their spouse, and the existingsituation. It also encourages them to realize theirpotential and empower them by building theirself confidence and self esteem. The counsellorhas to check out on the boundaries of therelationship of the spouses and see, how muchonus of the problem and problem solving theyare ready to take upon themselves. This effort inthe long run may lead to awareness on violatedwomen's perspectives and also bring in anenvironment of acceptance of human rights ofwomen in the community 16 .ProcessTo achieve the above, the counsellor is more ofa catalytic agent who provides an atmosphere inwhich the victims explore their thoughts andexperiences and look for solutions to theirproblems. Patrick, in his paper on 'An EasyIntroduction to Egan's Skilled Helper, SolutionFocused Counselling Approach' has conveyed howa counsellor is facilitative in establishing notonly appropriate and realist goals but also indeveloping skills of problem solving by buildingthe inner strengths and utilization of externalresources.The model of counselling given by Gerard Egancan prove to be helpful in managing domesticviolence too. It is divided into three stages. Beforestarting the counselling process, it is theresponsibility of the counsellor to makepreparation for counselling sessions by cateringto factors affecting readiness. Since readinesshelps the client to come forth with a redefinitionof the problem. Then beginning with the 'ExploringStage' which consists of skills such asquestioning, silence, focusing, reflecting,summarizing, paraphrasing and concreteness.These skills can prove to be helpful in exploringdifferent areas of concern of violence against thewomen such as details of incidents of violence,triggers of the incidents of violence, partners ofthe incidents and various dimensions ofrelationship of the victim and abuser. Through theabove skills, the counsellor on one hand correctsnot only the perception of the victims towardstheir problems and themselves but also theirown perception towards the victim’s problem andexperiences. In addition to this, it facilitates theabuser's ownership of his violent behaviourpattern. Though at times the spouses might bereluctant but then it is the role of the counsellorto enable them to explore new perspectives,challenge their negative modes of thinking andre-establish their priorities.Second StageThe second stage is that of 'Understanding' i.e.once the counsellor and the spouses havereached the aggrieved’s diagnosis of the issuerelated to domestic violence, time for thecounsellor to make use of supporting andchallenging skills such as confrontation,immediacy, self sharing and goal setting. On onehand it helps the victims to re-establish theiraims and goals, on the other encourages them tolook out for new perspectives which can helpthem to decide what they want for themselves.48 ➢ The Indian Police Journal Vol. LVII-No. 2, April-June, 2010