Crisis intervention for people experiencing violence

Abstract

The family is the basic social group and structure found in all societies in every historical era. It plays a significant role in preparing a person for functioning in society. Sometimes, however, it has a dysfunctional character, which may be related to the emergence of domestic violence, among other things. This article deals with the issue of domestic violence. It presents selected concepts to explain the meaning of the term ‘violence’, highlighting the differences that exist between the various definitions. The article characterises the forms of violence and addresses the cycle of domestic violence and its consequences. A form of state-operated assistance, crisis intervention, has been introduced to counter domestic violence. The task of crisis intervention is to provide direct, prompt assistance to the most affected family members, and to involve other services or institutions and accompany the victims experiencing violence. People experiencing domestic violence can benefit from assistance offered by both state and non-governmental institutions. One form of state assistance is the Domestic Violence Prevention Clinic. This facility operates as part of the Warsaw Crisis Intervention Centre. The conclusions presented in the article are based on an analysis of qualitative research conducted with female employees of the Clinic.