How to improve psychological intervention in the face of gender violence?

Although in recent years cultural awareness of the problems related to gender violence has increased a lot, We must not forget that until a few years ago, this was a phenomenon that was practically not talked about, because it was so normalized.

That is why today there is a tension between the concern generated by this type of dynamics of violence, on the one hand, and the relative ignorance about them at a social level, on the other. In other words, it is clear to most people that it is important to combat violence against gender, but they do not know how to do it, nor what characteristics this problem has on a psychological and social.

Because of this, we are currently at a time when there are more and more professionals in psychology and science who decide to train in the intervention in gender violence, and that prays a specialized vision before a problem before the which often acts inadequately or trying to apply generic solutions that do not adapt well to the reality of the victims. If you are interested in this topic, keep reading, because here we will review several of the main key ideas for

intervene adequately in the face of gender violence at the individual, collective, and social level.

The keys to improve intervention against gender violence

Here you will find key ideas that help to intervene in the reality of gender violence, leaving behind preconceived ideas. These can be applied in areas such as education, the creation of protocols against gender violence in companies, the psychological therapy, the presentation of news in the media, social intervention in battered women, and further.

1. Identify the stereotypes and stigmas that are linked to gender roles

Gender violence has its raison d'etre in the dynamics of oppression that arise from gender roles, which originally appears from the sexual division of labor; many of these are so ingrained in our way of thinking that it is hard for us to realize that they have given rise to stigmas based on sexism, to expectations about what a man and a woman should be, and stereotypes about the preferences, tastes, and opinions that people should have for reasons of its gender. Knowing how to recognize these types of ideas and explain why they are problematic is essential to advance in the fight against gender violence, because they put in a vulnerable situation every person who leaves these rules.

• Related article: "5 examples of gender roles (and their effects on society)"

2. Look not only at physical violence, but also at power dynamics

Assuming that gender violence is reflected only in physical abuse or in murders motivated by sexism, transphobia or homophobia is to have an overly simplistic vision of the problem. These criminal acts are possible because there are power dynamics consolidated for centuries and transmitted from generation to generation, and who play against women and men who stray from the roles of gender.

3. Emphasize prevention

For each case of gender violence that is identified as such by the public administration and gives rise to to a specific intervention program by professionals, there are many others that are not detected.

That's why, both to protect the greatest number of people possible and to make efficient use of the resources for the protection of victims available to society (both in the public and private spheres), it is important to give a lot of importance to prevention programs. In addition, these should not focus solely on the education of the little ones; It must not be forgotten that one of the most vulnerable segments of the population are older women.

• You may be interested in: "What is social psychology?"

4. Apply cognitive restructuring strategies in the face of internalized sexist beliefs

If gender violence is a problem with a great capacity to sneak into all the nooks and crannies of society, it is because it creates the necessary circumstances for even many victims to internalize the idea that this is "what normal". Even victims who go to psychotherapy after having suffered this violence tend to have a certain ambivalence about it, even blaming themselves for what happened. Given this, Cognitive-behavioral psychological therapy poses very useful resources, as the cognitive restructuring, through which the psychologist helps the person to detect those dysfunctional beliefs about himself, and to change them for others that question gender roles and the attitude of submission and self-punishment that they can reach ease.

5. Put the focus on social reintegration and not on revenge against the aggressors

Intervention on people who have participated in acts of gender violence is another facet to consider. In this case, it must be borne in mind that the objective is not to take revenge on these people through punishments that generate suffering simply because of the moralizing charge that this produces; the goal is to do everything possible to facilitate social reintegration in an that these subjects do not again pose a danger to the most vulnerable people. In other words, this is a task to be carried out within the framework of prevention programs.

6. Do not underestimate the damage that gender violence can cause in men

The fact that some men cannot be victims of gender violence due to their privileged position in power dynamics does not mean that all are free from this danger. Gender roles put a lot of pressure on hundreds of millions of men who have trouble fitting into the concept of what a man should be. male, either because of his sexual or gender identity or gender expression, because of his limited ability to bring in income to the household, etc

7. Consider generational differences in the normalization of gender violence

Different generations have different ways of experiencing and perceiving gender-based violence. For example, the experiences of educated women in the context of the constant sexualization of the female body through social networks and the media, than those of women raised in a cultural context that stigmatized sex outside of marriage.

8. Not understanding rape as a fundamentally sexual act

Rape is generally an act of humiliation and confirmation of inequality in terms of power; For this reason, the consequences that it leaves on the victims go far beyond the sexual, and affect the very core of their self-concept and self-esteem.

• You may be interested in: "Types of Violence"

9. Focus not on the willpower of the victim, but on their access to material support resources

The intervention to help the victims of gender violence should not be aimed at fueling their "will" to overcome what is happening to them, since this implies ignoring their access to material resources such as laws that protect them, shelters for battered women, facilities to attend individualized psychotherapy or group psychotherapy, etc

Do you want to specialize in intervention against gender violence?

If you would like to train in the theory and practice of psychosocial intervention strategies in cases of gender violence, you may be interested in the Master's Degree in Psychological and Social Intervention in Gender Violence offered by EDECA Formación. Offered online and with a duration of about 1,500 hours, this training program aims to teach the fundamentals for work on the prevention, detection, and intervention in the field of gender violence at the individual and psychological level and also social and structural. It deals with topics such as risk factors and groups, gender roles, the representation of gender violence in the media, the profile of the abuser, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies in intervention for victims, prevention programs against gender violence, and more.

You will find more information about EDECA's Master's in Psychological and Social Intervention in Gender Violence at this page.