Responding to Denial: Navigating Cognitive Distortions in Family Violence
Good assessment work is the foundation of effective intervention. This course gives practitioners a close-up look at how to conduct a thorough, respectful, and motivationally informed intake assessment with men who use family violence, from the first conversation to the handover into group.
Description
Responding to Denial:
Navigating Cognitive Distortions in Domestic, Family & Sexualised Violence
Learn how to recognise and respond to cognitive distortions – the thinking patterns that support, excuse, or minimise abusive behaviour.
Effective work in the family violence sector demands a broad and nuanced skill set. One essential skill is the ability to recognise and respond to cognitive distortions.
In the context of family violence, cognitive distortions often take the form of denial, blame-shifting, minimisation, justification, or subtle invitations for practitioners to collude. The result is that conversations stall, accountability is avoided, and meaningful change is delayed.
Practitioners may feel stuck, unsure of how to respond without escalating defensiveness or missing the heart of the issue. At times, these distorted narratives can even trigger strong emotional reactions in us, which can unintentionally create barriers to progress.
This course equips you with a practical, grounded approach to identifying and addressing these distortions. You’ll learn how to maintain a stance that is both compassionate and challenging, while building the conditions for accountability and change.
What you will need:
- A pen and paper pad. There will be an opportunity to write notes digitally during the course, but we also recommend making written notes.
- Print or edit/fill in PDF files. This is for optional resources available for download at the end of the course.
