The Heart of Intimate Abuse: New Interventions in Child Welfare, Criminal Justice, and Health Settings

This startling analysis of violence within intimate relationships contends that every abusive relationship has, paradoxically, a heart of its own. Practitioners must acknowledge and engage this dynamic emotional center in order for interventions to succeed.

The Heart of Intimate Abuse takes a broad, critical view of standard responses to abuse by today's criminal justice, social work, and medical systems—especially those that respond to violence with coercive interventions such as mandatory arrest, prosecution, and reporting laws.

Here is a bold vision of the core dynamics of abuse in families—a vision that professionals can use to realize new policies and implement effective interventions that reach the heart of intimate abuse.