ABSTRACT
Over 8 million couples experience intimate partner violence (IPV) annually (Stith, McCollum, Rosen, Locke, & Goldberg, 2005). Nearly twothirds of couples experience some form of abuse prior to entering therapy (Aldarondo & Straus, 1994), yet most couples who seek treatment will not overtly present with domestic violence problems. Only about 6% of couples will specically express violence as a problem (Stith et al., 2005). Couple and family therapists are on the front line with these clients because most victims seek help from mental health professionals rather than police, physicians, clergy, or crisis centers (Campbell, Raja, & Grining, 1999). e question of whether or not to treat violence individually or in the context of couple therapy is fraught with ethical considerations revolving around issues of power, control, and safety. erefore, it is imperative that therapists presume there is risk for domestic violence until thorough assessment reveals otherwise.
