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ISCSW Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 2 January 2011
Anger Management vs. DV: The distinction could make the difference ICASDV Conference Highlights Deby Stace, LMSW
Domestic violence occurs in every zip code, every day and it is no respecter of persons. It is a behavior that is a choice, is often learned and has long-lasting repercussions. I am aware who my audience is reading this material, so I’m not telling you something that you don’t already know. You know that alcohol, drugs, unemployment, mental health issues and environmental issues all can have a substantial impact on violence in a home. You have talked to adults who have witnessed abuse as a youth, then repeated the behavior as an adult. You have spoken to the victims who have been traumatized by abuse and you have attempted to give them strength, skills and hope for their future. In my travels, I have heard professionals speak to abusers about the need for “Anger Management.” Those professionals are doing a disservice to victims if they choose to treat domestic violence with a course in Anger Management. Of course, anger is often a component of violence, but it is not the underlying core issue of domestic violence. Controlling behavior, unrealistic expectations, low self-esteem, blaming others for problems, blaming others for their feelings, using privilege, isolation, intimidation and denying, minimizing and blaming behaviors are some of the core issues of abusers. To minimize domestic violence to anger alone will not address the underlying issues and the abuse will likely continue. The Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence ( www . idvsa . org ) is a local organization that puts on a yearly summit to educate and inform anyone who would like to increase their knowledge on this topic. This past October, national speakers educated hundreds of individuals who attended. This year’s theme was Domestic Violence and Health: Making the Connection. Larry Cohen, MSW, is the Executive Director of the Prevention Institute in Oakland, CA, and was one of the speakers at this year’s domestic violence conference. His non-profit national center is dedicated to improving community health through effective primary prevention; taking action to build resilience and to prevent illness and injury before they occur. Mr. Cohen quoted Gloria Steinhem by saying, “We are still standing on the bend of the river, rescuing people who are drowning. We have not gone to the head of the river to keep them from falling in.” He spoke about the key norms surrounding domestic violence. The culture of violence, the narrow definitions of manhood, the limited roles for girls and women, the value placed on power over others and the privacy and secrecy around violence. The sentence above could easily become a small book, with supporting research and examples, but that is not what I’d like to impart. I’d like you to focus on what you know about “ the privacy and secrecy around violence .” Think back to the clients you’ve spoken to who shared the details of their domestic violence behaviors with you. You may have suggested to them that they count to ten, replace the negative with positive thoughts, encouraged them to improve their communication skills, take a time-out, move out of the home for awhile until things cool down. You may have suggested they attend a weekly anger management class to help them learn other tools to use. All of those are good ideas, but they do not address the underlying core issue of an abuser. Take another trip down memory lane for a moment and remember the male client who was charming, articulate and communicated clearly the things that his wife or girlfriend did or said…and you felt and saw something unspoken from him. A question may have crossed your mind just how positively was he presenting himself as the victim, or professing his love for her…and you questioned…something….He assured you that all was well and you agreed to meet again for future discussion. As clinicians, we come face-to-face with the privacy and secrecy around violence. As clinicians, we can address domestic violence with the correct educational foundation. The underlying core issues need to be addressed, and those core issues will not be addressed without the right words from us. The Idaho Council on Domestic Violence and Victim Assistance has a yearly training conference in June, this year the dates are June 8 & 9, 2011 ( www . icdv . idaho . gov ). I encourage you to attend this conference, so that you can strengthen your skills to “go to the head of the river to keep people from falling in.”
Creative Writing for Counselors and their Clients Upcoming Conference Highlights Steve Flick, LCSW, MFA
A former Wallace Stegner Fellowship winner at Stanford University and an original Doobie Brother, Steve Flick received his Master’s in Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing from the University of Montana. After a long career as an English teacher, musician and writer, he earned his Master’s in Social Work at Boise State University and has been in practice there as an LCSW for the past 16 years. Five years ago he began collecting writing assignments used with his clients in therapy. He has recently published Creative Writing for Counselors and their Clients , now available at Barnes and Noble bookstores. Creative Writing for Counselors and their Clients is the first workshop of its kind in the country, which shows practitioners how to expand their “toolbox” of therapeutic techniques using writing. Participants will learn how to guide clients through expressive writing exercises individually and in groups so that all aspects of writing help the writers change. This workshop is aimed at counselors, social workers, psychosocial rehab workers, psychologists, doctors, drug and alcohol counselors, prison writing group leaders, university classroom teachers, and high school counselors. According to Barnes and Noble there is only one other current book on the topic available in the United States.
The workshop gives the
therapeutic and educational benefits of using creative writing with
clients. Participants will learn how to use free writing,
journaling, poetry, song-writing, letters, childhood memories,
dreams, short fiction, personal ads, dialogs, description, myography,
and living wills during the six-hour course, which is drawn from his
book. Creative writing is part of the archetypal human desire to
tell stories, and our clients learn that their stories and their
lives are valuable through the writing process. Writing helps
therapy by aiding continuity, closure, identity development, and
makes inner dialog manifest, so it can be changed.
“Using a wide definition of creative writing, Steve Flick’s workshop will take you from Sophocles, to Freud, to Primal Scream, to Cognitive therapy, to Mad Libs substitution poetry, to County Music to pop, jazz, and rap…” Steve Flick, LCSW, MFA
Conference Highlights according to Steve Flick, LCSW, MFA Participants will:
Contact Us Please let us know of any upcoming events, trainings or issues that you would like us to speak about by clicking on the contact us link and completing the form at: www.clinicalsocialwork-idaho.org
Blue Cross Extended Providers Change Kelly Victorine, LMSW
Blue Cross has changed their idea about who can provide mental health services to their patients. Now, LMSW’s, LPC’s, and AMFT’s if they obtain a National Provider Number (NPI) can apply to be a service extender through Blue Cross. If they are approved they can provide psychotherapy under their own provider number if they are supervised by a state registered supervisor, on site.
Information about how to apply for a NPI number can be found at: https :// www . cms . gov / NationalProvIdentStand /03_ apply . asp .
Information and forms for a provider number through Blue Cross can be found at: www . bcidaho . com under PAP 900.
Upcoming Trainings ISCSW is committed to supporting it’s members through educational workshops and conferences. Here is a list of events being held locally as well as around the nation.
Calendar of Events Idaho Counseling Association Annual Conference Place: Pocatello, Idaho Date: January 19 - 22, 2011 Time: 7:30am – 5:00pm Daily Contact: www . idahocounseling . org
Intermountain Hospital Monthly Luncheon Place: IMH- South Education Room, 303 N. Allumbaugh Date: Monthly, Alternating Thursdays Time: 12:00pm – 01:00pm Contact: 350-2823
ISIP Annual Conference Grief & Loss – An Adlerian Appoach Place: Doubletree Hotel – Riverside 2900 chinden Blvd. Date: February 25 – 26, 2011 Time: 7:30am – 4:30pm Contact: Tom McIntyre at (208) 344-7194
Quarterly Training Place: Veterans Administration: Boise, ID. Date: February Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm Contact: www.clinicalsocialwork-idaho.org (contact us)
AGPA National Conference: “Group as a source of Resilience and Change.” Place: Sheraton New York Hotel Towers; New York, NY. Date: February 28 th – March 5 th Time: Depends on Registration Contact: www.agpa.org Participants can sign up for the two day institute where the clinician will engage in the group therapy process as a member, as well as a five day conference where they will be educated by some of the top group therapists in issues ranging from substance abuse to adolescence. Participants can also join special issue groups such as LGBT and Diversity, to network with others in their field or find those who share common interests.
Training Conference on Crime Victim Assistance by the Idaho Council on Domestic Violence and Victim Assistance Place: Doubletree Hotel – Riverside 2900 chinden Blvd. Date: June 8 – 9, 2011 Time: 7:30am – 4:30pm Contact: www . icdv . idaho . gov or 332-1540
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