Family Violence & Abuse within LGBTQIA Communities

Catalog description

This hybrid course will foster a well-informed understanding of the individual and inter-generational effects of family, with a special emphasis on how members of the LGBTQIA community are affected by these. Intersectionality of race, ethnicity, class, culture, ability, and other cultural groups will be explored as it applies to family violence. Family violence includes intimate partner violence (IPV), child abuse, adult dependent abuse, and elder abuse. Students will develop an understanding of family violence, including myths and misconceptions about various forms of family violence, the cycle of violence, and traumatic bonding. Students will begin to understand the dynamics that lead to adult victims staying in abusive relationships and why abusers abuse and the role of internalized homo/bi/transphobia in these processes. This course will teach students how to help LGBTQIA clients dealing with these issues develop better self-esteem. This class will train mental health professionals to recognize, assess, and effectively intervene in cases where abuse is occurring. Resources (or lack thereof) for LGBTQIA clients dealing with family violence will be identified and explored. Mandated reporting requirements for child abuse, elder and adult dependent abuse are discussed.