Blog

What's Wrong with the Duluth Model for DV Treatment? 5

The Duluth Model is a DV treatment program that dominates every level of DV services from the police officer who responds to a 911 call, to the laws that govern how that officer is supposed to act, to the judge who hears the case if charged, and the treatment services provided to both parties.

From my perspective, the Duluth Model is not only flawed, and unhelpful—it is destructive. 

I have come to that conclusion through decades of advocacy for men abused by their wives and girlfriends, and for the expansion of understanding that Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) can happen in any gender configuration.

In this post, I'll give you the background. You can draw your own conclusions. 

How Many Men are Abused by Women? 3

Abuse of men by their partners, especially female partners, is usually dismissed as infrequent or not harmful, and is often laughed at or even encouraged. But how many men get abused by their wives and girlfriends? How many men experience domestic abuse and violence? What are the percentage stats for abuse of men? What are the relative numbers of abused men and abused women?

My answers will probably surprise you.

Is The Way You are Listening Damaging Your Relationship? 0

Think you're listening—but your partner says they don’t feel heard? You might be using “Not Listening Skills” that frustrate your partner and escalate conflict instead of resolving it. This post breaks down common listening mistakes and points you toward an easy resource for upgrading your communication, repairing old hurts, and rebuilding connection.

Psychologist Dr Hughes Testimony for Amber Heard Exposes DV Gender Bias 0

Forensic Psychologist Dr Dawn Hughes, PhD testified on Amber’s behalf during Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s “You defamed me.” “No, you defamed me.” trial. As a counselor and author of several books about partner abuse, I have been following the Depp/Heard case for a long time. I transcribed and analyzed Dr Hughes’ testimony to check it against other evidence and what I know about mental health and partner abuse.

For this post, I’m focusing on the domestic violence part of Dr Hughes’ testimony and what it tells us about her objectivity and gender bias, as well as the gender bias of other DV advocates, resources, and treatment programs.

Forensic Psychologist Dr Curry Testimony Johnny Depp v Amber Heard Trial 4

On Day 9 of the Johnny Depp v Amber Heard Defamation trial, forensic Psychologist Dr Curry testified that she diagnosed Amber Heard with Borderline and Histrionic personality disorders, and made other determinations relevant to the case, after examining records pertaining to Amber's history and performing 12 hours of assessment interviews with Amber in person.

I watched most of Dr Curry's testimony live. She is impressive: thorough, knowledgeable, and unflappable.

Her testimony is worthy of taking a look at to decipher who to believe in the competing DV accusations of this former couple. It's also worthy as a study of psychology best practices.

Histrionic Personality: Traits and Relationship Risks 0

Histrionic personalities are flamboyant, melodramatic attention-seekers.

A histrionic person may be the life of the party and draw a partner in with their enthusiasm, charm, and seduction, but then wear the partner out with their need to be the center of the universe.

Explore dramatic HPD traits, how they affect intimate partners, PLUS key differences from narcissism and borderline personality disorders.