October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM)

October is a time where we collectively work to raise awareness about intimate partner violence through unity, action, and advocacy. This is done to elevate survivor voices because they are often silenced and marginalized. The DVOMB met on October 13th and honored DVAM with two featured presentations. The first presentation, Then and Now: Changes in the Movement to End Domestic Violence, was organized by the Victim Advocacy Committee and featured three prominent leaders speaking about their views of how the field of domestic violence has changed. The second presentation, Look Who’s Stalking: Identifying and Corroborating Allegations of Stalking by Dr. Patrick Brady highlighted the complex aspect of stalking and its impact on victims. In recognition of DVAM, these presentations were recorded and are available to view:

• Then and Now: Changes in the Movement to End Domestic Violence
• Look Who’s Stalking: Identifying and Corroborating Allegations of Stalking

The video of the meeting can be viewed here

Strangulation 

The consequences of strangulation are becoming more understood in the research, especially in the context of non-fatal strangulation. A recent systematic review looked at 30 articles from the literature for the pathological, neurological, cognitive, psychological, and behavioral outcomes of non-fatal strangulation in domestic and sexual violence. The study found that “Severe, life-threatening injuries were reported, including stroke, arterial dissection, and symptoms of hypoxia and venous congestion. Clinical outcomes included loss of consciousness, changes to vision and voice, motor difficulties, and sensory loss. Psychological outcomes indicated profound trauma reactions, including acute and chronic fear, PTSD, dissociation, depression, anxiety, and suicidality.” 

The extent of brain injuries and these long-term consequences of non-fatal strangulation are not well known and sometimes minimized. To combat that, the Alliance for Hope Foundation published an infographic to convey the damage that can be caused to a victim in less than three minutes. There is an infographic that portrays this data, it can be viewed here.

In the recent data collected from DVOMB Approved Providers between January 1st through June 30th, 2023, strangulation was endorsed by the H4 of the DVRNA in 17.8% (n = 78) of cases; however, not all of these cases were charged or convicted for strangulation.  

Throughout October and November, Violence Free Colorado (VFC) will be sharing content on their social media channels to help raise awareness and educate the public on the complex dynamics of domestic violence. You can find more information about events by visiting the VFC events calendar.

November and December Board Meetings

In observance of Veteran’s Day, the next DVOMB meeting will be held on November 3, 2023 which is the first Friday of November. Additionally, the DVOMB will not meet during the month of December. 

When: November 3, 2023

Time: 9:00AM - 12:30PM

Where: Community First Foundation located at 5855 Wadsworth Bypass A, Arvada, CO 80003 or online via WebEx

Join Virtually Here

Webinar number: 2551 317 4056

Webinar password:  AeuYMYxj769

Join by phone: +1-415-655-0001 US Toll

Access code: 255 131 74056

Meet the New Director for the Division of Criminal Justice



Dr. Matthew M. Lunn was appointed as the director of the Division of Criminal Justice in September 2023. Prior to his appointment, Dr. Lunn was the Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Denver Police Department where he focused on public policy, developed short- and long-term strategic goals, drove innovation and evaluation efforts, and maximized organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Prior to his tenure with the Denver Police Department, he worked for the Arapahoe County Coroner's Office and for the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner.

Dr. Lunn earned his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, a Master of Science from Regis University, and a Bachelor of Science from Iowa State University. Lunn is a graduate of the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the Police Executive Research Forum's Senior Management Institute for Police. Dr. Lunn held leadership roles on local, state, and federal boards and commissions, and held faculty appointments at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and Binghamton University-SUNY.

In his first month, Director Lunn has spent significant time connecting with DCJ team members and external stakeholders to understand the current needs and opportunities of the division. In the coming months, we will be releasing our strategic plan and look forward to feedback from the DVOMB and SOMB community.

Policy Updates

Application for Piloting the Domestic Violence Risk and Needs Assessment - Revised

The DVRNA is now validated and the Annual Legislative Report will highlight the published findings. The validation study identified a number of ways the DVRNA could improve and as a result, the DVOMB has authorized a project to gather data and pilot a revision to the DVRNA. The DVOMB will release an application for those who are interested in being considered for the DVRNA-Revised Pilot in the coming weeks. Stay tuned! 

Creation of the Associate Level Candidacy - Implementing Changes to Section 9.0

Per the recent changes to Section 9.0, DVOMB staff are in the process of replacing the Trainee status with the label, Associate Level Candidate status. Unlike the Trainee status, Associate Level Candidates (ALC) will be directly listed on the DVOMB Approved Provider List after submitting Application 1 and being administratively approved by staff. By granting candidates status on the Approved Provider List, it is reasoned that more applicants will be willing to retain the status and apply for continued placement as an Associate Level Provider within a one year period.

The recent changes also provide Domestic Violence Clinical Supervisors (DVCS) a new responsibility regarding co-facilitation. Associate Level Provider Candidates (ALCs) cannot provide any domestic violence offender services without co-facilitation until their DVCS has determined they are able to facilitate independently and on their own. For those who are currently supervising Trainees, please note that these changes will be reflected in the DVOMB Standards and Guidelines this week or next as well as the Provider Data Management System in the coming months. Until then, please know that these changes are in effect and can be implemented in your supervision.  

Interstate Compact Forms

There are new Interstate Compact forms as of November 2022. Please ensure that you are using these updated forms and sending them to doc_interstatetreatment@state.co.us. As always, these forms are available on the DVOMB website under MTT Resources, Forms, Templates & Tips.

• Cover Letter 2022
• Form A 2022
• Form B 2022
• Form C 2022
• Interstate Treatment Application Packet

Meet the New Members of the Application Review Committee!

Recent changes now allow for non-Board members to apply to serve on the Application Review Committee (ARC) as voting members. These changes were added to create equitable pathways for non-Board members to participate in the decisions of the ARC. Please welcome the two newest members of the Application Review Committee:

Melissa Hall, MS, CACII, AAT, MRT, DVOMB FOL Provider

Melissa has been married for 23 years and she has two amazing sons (19 and 16). She was raised in Colorado and briefly left for a semester for college but was happy to return. Melissa is a probation officer who supervises sex offenders, domestic violence offenders, and drug court. She has supervised the domestic violence case load for the past eight years. Melissa is also a Full Operating Level Approved Provider and Certified Addiction Specialist. She is working on a second master’s degree in clinical counseling and has a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, emphasizing Law Enforcement Administration. When she is not busy at work or studying, she enjoys running and biking, cheering for her youngest at different sporting events, gardening, and going on different adventures with her husband.

Jeannine Anderson, MA, LPC, LAC, DVCS

Jeannine Anderson is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Addiction Counselor with over a decade of experience working with adults and adolescents. She currently serves as Southeast Counseling Center’s Forensic and Group Services Manager. Jeannine’s training includes specialization in working with couples, trauma (EMDR), and substance abuse in addition to general mental health concerns including anxiety and depression. While serving as a clinical supervisor in the forensic realm for many years, Jeannine has a depth of knowledge in assisting clients who are involved both past and present in the criminal justice system through court-ordered treatment, victims of violence or crime, and first responders. Jeannine was a coordinator of an intensive outpatient program (IOP) for adolescents earlier in her career and enjoys working with adolescents as they navigate developmental challenges. Jeannine places an emphasis on collaborating with clients to provide practical tools in an effective manner as well as a safe place to work through deeper issues.

Research Corner

There is a pressing need to understand the occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and perpetration within sexual minority relationships. While a relatively large body of research exists on IPV, most has focused on male-female IPV, leaving many questions unanswered about the shared and unique risk factors for same-sex IPV. In this research corner, I review two newly published studies that add to an empirically informed understanding of same-sex IPV. One study examined how internalized homonegativity, a unique aspect of minority stress, may raise the risk of IPV through its link with greater emotional dysregulation (a shared risk factor for IPV). The other study examined how the high rates of IPV found in survey studies may in part reflect the age characteristics of same-sex and opposite-sex couples. This has implications for interpreting the higher rates of same-sex IPV and points to increasing prevention and intervention efforts for the LGBTQ+ community for youth and young adults.

Trombetta, T. & Rollè, L. (2023). Internalized homonegativity, emotion dysregulation, and physical same-sex intimate partner violence perpetration: A psychological mediation framework-based model. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, online first publication,

https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605231201822 

In this study, Trombetta et al. sought to better understand the relationship between minority stress and IPV within same-sex couples. The research studied the relationships between internalized homonegativity, emotion dysregulation, and the occurrence of self-reported same-sex IPV. Internalized homonegativity refers to negative affect and attitudes expressed towards one’s sexual orientation resulting from heterosexist and homonegative attitudes present in society. Emotion dysregulation refers to the ability to understand, accept, and modulate emotions and control impulses. The study group was 139 gay and lesbian participants involved in same-sex relationships. The participants provided demographic information and completed three questionnaires: Internalized Sexual Stigma for Lesbian and Gay Men (MISS-LG; Lingiardi et al., 2012); Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; Gratz & Roemer, 2004); and Conflict Tactics Scale - Short Form (CTS2S; Strauss & Douglas, 2004). The study found internalized homonegativity was positively correlated with emotion dysregulation but not physical same-sex IPV perpetration. In contrast, emotion dysregulation was positively correlated with same-sex IPV perpetration. Mediation analyses that controlled for demographic factors found an indirect relationship between negative homogeneity and physical IPV that was mediated via emotion dysregulation. The study highlights the importance of addressing emotion dysregulation as a risk factor for IPV within same-sex couples and exploring the role of homonegativity and minority stress as associated or causal factors. 

Hubbell, J. T. (2023). Elucidating intimate partner violence rate disparities between same- and opposite-sex couples: A demographic approach. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, online first publication, https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605231197781 

Several recent large national surveys examining IPV have found higher rates among same-sex couples than opposite-sex couples. In the current study, Hubbell explored the influence of differing population age structure as a factor in those observed higher rates. Data for the study came from the 2016 National Incident-Based Reporting System and the 2016 American Community Survey which collectively contained physical IPV incidents for 2,584 same-sex male, 4,209 same-sex female, and 284,614 oppositive-sex couples. Two criminological methods for accounting for age differences in crime rates were used, called age standardization and decomposition. The analyses found the crude rate of physical IPV was highest in same-sex female households (892 per 100,000), followed by same-sex male households (592 per 100,000), and then opposite-sex households (450 per 100,000). After age standardization, the adjusted rate for same-sex female households was 44% less (696 per 100,000), while for same-sex male households it was 15% less (526 per 100,000). Decomposition analyses indicated population age structure accounted for about 44% of the difference in rates between same-sex female and opposite-sex households and about 48% of the difference between same-sex male and opposite-sex households. These findings highlight how demographic factors can contribute to differential rates of IPV between groups. The findings indicate that about half of the differences in rates between same-sex and opposite-sex households remained unexplained by age structure and signal the important role of other factors, such as sexual minority stress. The high rates of IPV in younger same-sex relationships points to the need for prevention and intervention strategies supportive of LGBTQ+ youth and young adults.

Training Opportunities Sponsored by Others

*NEW* VIRTUAL CARING DADS

FACILITATOR TRAINING EVENTS

Hello Caring Dads Facilitators,

We are pleased to announce that we have scheduled a new VIRTUAL Caring Dads Facilitator Training events. The virtual dates/times are November 21, 22, 28, 29 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm Eastern Time (TORONTO TIME). If you need to train more staff at your organization on Caring Dads, please be sure to register. 

2023 Domestic Violence Summit

The Pikes Peak Domestic Violence Summit Committee, the Center for Justice Innovation, and the UCCS Public Safety Initiative (PSI) invite you to the 21st annual Pikes Peak Domestic Violence Summit!

“Love You to Death”

This two-day summit will include a victim and offender panel, as well as discussions on lethality, forensics of strangulation, case studies, wellness and more. Learn more about this event and register HERE!

Dates: October 25-26, 2023

Time: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Location: The Pinery North

9633 Prominent Point

Colorado Springs, CO 80924

Vista Counseling Services, LLC Presents:

Female Offender Domestic Violence Offender Evaluation & Treatment

Location: Online (Zoom)

February 29th and March 1st (TWO Day Training)

Cost: $225.00 per person, discounts for 4 or more people who register together

Trainer: Jeanette Barich, LCSW, LAC, DVCS

Jeanette@jeanettebarich.com or 303-507-5825

Description:  This training is a beginner-level, two-day (14-hour) training based on the best practices guidelines of Appendix B in the DVOMB Standards: For Providing Court-Ordered Treatment to Female Domestic Violence Offenders. This training satisfies the 14-hour Female Specific Offender Population DVOMB application requirement. 

We will take an in-depth look at our personal biases around women as offenders and men as victims, victim advocacy specific to this population, pathways to crime, barriers to treatment, theories around female offenders, offender typologies, assessment, evaluation, curriculum topics and unique aspects of working with this specific population. This training will give you a basic understanding of working with the court-ordered female domestic violence offender.  This fast-paced interactive training utilizes media and case studies to demonstrate treatment and evaluation principles.