Training psychologists and licensed therapists and counselors, who work with family violence victims and abusers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and across the state, is a part of me as a professional trainer. One such professional who was a student in one of my classes shared how she provided DSM recommendations for the State of Wisconsin. She told the class how she discovered being misguided into trying to fit Domestic Violence into a DSM category, only to discover that none fit what she was seeing as domestic violence. I recall her thanking me during class for training her in family violence, as it helped her to understand why she could not fit domestic violence into the psychological categories she had been trying to fit it into. Once the threat is removed, resiliency is normally restored, and she confirmed that there is not a DSM for domestic violence.
She went on to thank me for giving her the additional skills she needed as a Certified Domestic Violence Advocate, having completed my training, and how she now felt better equipped to make more informed recommendations to these state agencies who seek her advice about domestic violence; and that she also feels better equipped in caring for her patients presenting with family violence matters. Including, her work with abusers in her batterer treatment provider services.
What I discovered almost a decade ago when I began my research in the genre of family violence was this gap in trained family violence professional counselors, who are needed to address family violence and first do no harm. It all came full circle for me that day with this PhD student in my class, who confirmed what I discovered through my own independent research, when I formulated the Certification Domestic Violence Advocate Cohort for trained professionals, was true, that there is this lack of specialized knowledge in the genre among therapists who are being charged with assessing domestic violence victims and abusers. I thank this student. Because in that moment, she confirmed my work; that licensed professional therapists, do need this specialized family violence advocacy education and training.
In part, it is reasons like these, the need to reach more professionals, families, students, advocates and allies, that I decided to publish the Alice Belcher Family Violence Library. It is an entire library on family violence on various interrelated subjects, that I am now releasing to the public. The first book in this library series is PREVENTION for African American Communities, which officially launches December 1, 2017.
Read more about Family Violence in my book, Family Violence PREVENTION. Get your copy today at
https://goo.gl/4ozY1x 
