Rob Scuka, Ph.D. identifies two forms of domestic violence in the “Checklist for Differentiating Two Different Forms of Interpersonal Violence.”
In his introduction to the checklist, Scuka writes (excerpt):
Broadly speaking, the following distinctions can be made. With classic cases of domestic violence or “battering” – which involves the use of intimidation, coercion and physical violence as tools of domination and control, and where there is a clear perpetrator and a clear victim – the almost universal recommendation is separate treatment for perpetrator and victim in order to eliminate the violent behavior for the perpetrator and to provide safety, support and education to the victim.
In cases of what the literature now commonly refers to as “Situational Couple Violence” – which typically is characterized by less intense forms of violence that tend to be mutual in nature, and where there is no clear perpetrator and no clear victim – the emerging consensus accepts that couple treatment may be both a legitimate and perhaps even a preferable intervention approach.