Abstract
This study examined licensed Mental Health Professionals’ perspectives into best practices and interventions when working with domestic violence victims. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze responses from 11 interviews. Participants were selected via convenience sampling. Three main themes emerged: sociocultural influences on intimate partner violence, psychoeducation, and effective and ineffective interventions. One significant finding was that participants found a humanistic client-centered approach to predict better outcomes for victims of domestic violence. In contrast, cognitive behavioral therapy was named by five clinicians as ineffective and possibly harmful. Research findings suggest that focusing on environmental and social factors may be more beneficial when working with victims with complex trauma. Implications for social work practice and policy are discussed.