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Screening Tool for Identifying the Abuser and Survivor
More and more service providers are serving gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people in intimate relationships in which there may be abuse. For many providers this may be the first time they have heard, and taken seriously, claims of mutual abuse from GLBT partners.
Determining who the abuser is and who is the abused can sometimes be a challenge in any relationship. Service providers need a screening process that helps them to identify the abuser and the abused partner in abusive GLBT relationships.
One way abusers isolate their partners is by seeking out potential service providers and securing them as a resource for themselves so the providers won’t be available for their partner. This can be especially dangerous in GLBT relationships where partner abuse resources are limited, leaving the abused partner without necessary support.
This tactic also is seen in heterosexual relationships when the abused partner is a man. A female abuser can often easily establish herself as the abused partner in the eyes of the criminal justice system and community service providers due to current myths and misconceptions regarding heterosexual partner abuse.
All partner abuse service providers should be screening all their clients to determine who truly is the abuser and who is the abused partner. Many think screening is necessary only for same-gender GLBT relationships, but these providers are falling for the myth that partner abuse is about gender rather than about power and control.
An /Intimate Partner Abuse Screening Tool for GLBT Relationships/ has been developed by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Domestic Violence Coalition, based in Boston, MA. The Tool is used in a process that focuses on the dynamics of the relationship, rather than the individuals, in order to achieve a clearer understanding of which partner is gaining and which is losing power and control.
Comprehensive full-day trainings on the screening tool are offered by the GLBT Domestic Violence Coalition once a year and these trainings are highly recommended as the preferred way to learn how to use the screening tool. However, to facilitate service providers and organizations that cannot logistically attend the full day training, GMDVP’s Education Department also conducts 2-hour mini-trainings on the screening tool. (From the main menu bar click on GMDVP >> Services >> Education and Outreach)