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What Gabby Petito Helped Me Remember
The Number One Predictor of Violence in an Interpersonal Relationship
Now we all know what happened to Gabby Petito. She was strangled to death. Just like countless other domestic violence victims have. When I heard the news, it jolted me back to some of the work I’ve done assessing violence risk in domestic violence situations.
I originally published this article two years ago. Nothing has changed. If you have been, are, or know of anyone who is in a violent interpersonal relationship, please, please, please read this article. And get some help.
Just How Bad is Your Batterer?
October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. It’s a sad reminder that what starts out with intimacy and love can become ugly and tragic. It’s also a reminder that even among abusive relationships, some are deadlier than others. One of my jobs as a forensic psychologist is to estimate the violence risk of batterers so we can develop safety plans for victims and parole plans for perpetrators.
It’s not easy; there are psychological barriers that get in the way. Many of us have a hard time admitting — even to ourselves — that we’re being abused by a spouse or partner. Even when we know it’s abuse, it can be easy to make excuses for it: It was…