Shining the Light Seminars helps your healthcare providers stop domestic abuse.

Partners in Prevention

Shining the Light on Relationship Violence

The Opportunity

The Problem

Intimate partner violence and child abuse are public health problems of enormous proportions. One out of every three women will be assaulted by an intimate partner during her lifetime, and 60 to 70% of men who abuse their female partners also batter their children. Domestic violence doesn't only compromise the abused; far too often it results in their murder. Domestic abuse results in medical expenses of $3 to 5 billion per year and costs employers another $100 million in lost wages, sick leave, absenteeism and lessened productivity.

The Solution and Method

The most effective method of reducing these loses, and preventing domestic abuse from escalating to the point of severe injury or death, is for healthcare professionals to recognize it and intercede. By applying the models used to identify other chronic health problems, the healthcare system can play a significant role in interrupting the cycle of abuse. However, effective training for healthcare professionals to this end is virtually non-existent. The net result is systematic failure to prevent domestic violence.

Partners in Prevention steps into this huge knowledge and service gap, providing highly polished programs on clinical skills necessary to interrupt abuse. These programs, called the Shining the Light on Domestic Abuse Seminars, fulfill the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization's (JCAHO) competency standards with respect to patients who may be victims of abuse. They are designed to help healthcare professionals recognize domestic abuse, and also interface with and clinically manage patients who are victims of violence.

The primary focus of these seminars is domestic abuse prevention and intervention. The programs address three areas of clinical skills training:

Domestic violence assessment and referral

The psychophysiology of battering dynamics

Therapeutic communication skills that restore healing

The Shining the Light Seminars were developed, and are delivered, by Jeanne King, Ph.D. who is a licensed clinical psychologist, educator, author and professional speaker. This training series is based on 25 years of clinical healthcare expertise in psychology and therapeutic communications, and an extensive knowledge base in domestic violence and child abuse. In addition, Dr. King has professional speaking skills that motivate, educate and inspire healthcare audiences.

The Results

Healthcare providers who attend the Shining the Light Seminars consistently report being deeply moved and inspired to conscientiously screen for domestic abuse following these programs. They note that they are better equipped to interface with this patient population and show greater success in facilitating therapeutic change. Participants describe these programs as "powerful" and "riveting," and say the material is emotionally engaging, informative and professionally relevant.

The Shining the Light Seminars fill the knowledge base missing in traditional healthcare academic curriculum. Additionally, they fill the void in the current continuing educational programs in domestic abuse for healthcare providers by non-credentialed, non-healthcare professionals who fail to capture the attention of these audiences. These programs are the only national seminar series that focus on developing clinical skills essential for intimate partner violence intervention. Without these clinical skills, healthcare providers frequently fail to implement the lessons of domestic violence education programs given by local abuse agencies.

Your Opportunity

The response to these programs has inspired us to make the Shining the Light Seminars available to healthcare organizations on a national basis. Join us in helping your healthcare community better help your community to prevent violence. Here's how you can become a Partner in Prevention: