half day workshop

MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING FOR PARTNER ABUSIVE INDIVIDUALS
Christopher Murphy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA

Partner abusive clients are often resistant to treatment. Many are court ordered to services, and most externalize blame for their problematic behavior.  Many suffer from significant personality disturbances. Motivational interviewing is a very helpful skill set to use with this population, and has been shown in a recent trial from my research group to have significant effects on treatment engagement factors that predict violence reduction.

Dr. Murphy is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.  He has conducted clinical research with partner violent offenders for the past 15 years, with grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Key References:
Murphy, C.M. & Eckhardt, C.I. (2005). Treating the Abusive Partner: An Individualized, Cognitive-Behavioral Approach.  Musser, P., Semiatin, J., Taft, C., & Murphy, C. (in press). Motivational Interviewing as a pre-group preparation for partner violent men.  Violence and Victims.