ABSTRACT
Family violence can occur in virtually any segment of the population. It crosses racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, religious, and geographic differences. Many dynamics of different forms of family violence—including child maltreatment, intimate partner violence (IPV), and elder abuse—are the same across cultures. In many cases, clients’ unique individual characteristics exert a more powerful influence than their cultural background on their experiences with family violence. However, cultural dynamics can indeed have a powerful impact on how clients experience abuse—including cultural norms about what types of violence are acceptable, perceptions of violence experienced, and availability of culturally responsive resources to help end the abuse. Therefore, therapists must be mindful of cultural considerations when working with clients impacted by family violence.
