Case Summary
Melody is a 39-year-old white woman you’ve been working with for six months. She originally presented to address unresolved childhood trauma, including sexual abuse by her uncle. Five weeks ago, she canceled her session at the last minute citing a family emergency. This session is the first time you’ve seen her since.
Part Two: Safety Planning for Interpersonal Violence
Part Two Instructions
Read the information below and follow the prompts for each question. In the following session, Melody presents with a bruise on her left cheek and reports that things have gotten worse. As you begin, she tells you the following story.
You know, Jeanine and I have been together for five years – married for the past three. I love her, but I just… I haven’t mentioned to you that sometimes things get really rough between us when we fight. Yes, she’s not been feeling well, and she’s overwhelmed so I get it. But in last month or so, things have gotten pretty bad.
It’s normal for her to raise her voice occasionally and she’s shoved me around a bit in the past. But she slapped me last week, as you can see (she motions to her face). And a few weeks ago, she shook me so hard I woke up with a migraine headache.
I mean, she apologizes every time and I’m never going to leave her. And I totally get it, because sometimes when I try to help… I just seem to make things worse.
It’s not like she’s bigger than me either! That’s the embarrassing part – she’s three inches shorter than I am, so I don’t think she’s going to do any serious damage… but wow, she’s strong.
Respond to the following prompts with 75-100 words:
- Describe Melody’s level of lethality using the results of the Danger Assessment located at this link (https://www.dangerassessment.org/uploads/DA_NewScoring_2019.pdf):
- What additional information would you need about Melody’s situation to help her?
- Would you devise a safety or harm reduction plan for Melody? Why? To learn how to differentiate safety and harm reduction planning, see your book.
- Describe the details of the plan here:
For a PDF version of a safety planning chart to keep on file, click here.
Trauma and crisis counseling
Your name
Institution
Date
- Describe Melody’s level of lethality using the results of the Danger Assessment located at this link (https://www.dangerassessment.org/uploads/DA_NewScoring_2019.pdf):
Lethality refers to the degree of danger that a person is exposed to from a violent partner. Lethality assessments help to assess the batterer’s violence patterns including the possible threats of homicide or suicide, weapons owned, an increased degree of dangerous behavior, and the presence of mental health issues. Based on the Danger Assessment tool, Melody’s case checked only two yes answers hence her level of lethality is low. However, Melody’s partner’s level of violence is likely to escalate because she has started hitting her and the level of lethality may escalate to moderate of high.
- What additional information would you need about Melody’s situation to help her?
Additional information I would need to help Melody include details regarding her marriage including her employment status and more details regarding their fights. I would also ask her if her partner has any weapons in the house and whether she threatens her. Furthermore, I would question Melody about any illegal drug use or addiction issues that her or her partner may have. In addition, I would evaluate the unresolved childhood trauma to determine how the trauma impacts her relationship with her partner.
- Would you devise a safety or harm reduction plan for Melody? Why? To learn how to differentiate safety and harm reduction planning, see your book.
I would devise a harm reduction plan for Melody because it is clear that her partner is violent and may cause significant physical harm. According to Logan and Marlatt (2010), a harm reduction plan helps victims of violence or abuse to develop coping mechanisms that would minimize the risk of harm. Melody explained that she does not intend to leave her partner and that she still loves her hence it would be better to devise a harm reduction plan.
- Describe the details of the plan here:
Melody’s harm reduction plan should include coping strategies that will help her take her mind off her partner’s abuse. This includes a list of social settings and people who can provide a distraction. Coping strategies may include physical activity and relaxation techniques such as meditation. The melody should also come up with a list of people she can call for help in case the fights between her and her partner escalate and she is unable to find a distraction. In case of a crisis, Melody should have the contacts of a professional or agency as part of her emergency contact.
References
Logan, D., & Marlatt, G. (2010). Harm reduction therapy: a practice-friendly review of research. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 66(2), 201-214. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20669