With strong bipartisan support, the Senate voted last week to expand the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. In doing so they strengthened the power of American Indian tribal courts and specifically protected the rights of gay victims of domestic abuse. Lawmakers have been holding up passing it because of the broader fight over the size and control of government. President Obama is now calling on the House to pass it as well. The Senate bill would provide services like shelters and legal help for victims regardless of their sexual orientation or immigrant status.
This act is immensely important to the many victims of domestic violence throughout the United States. Just this week high profile news anchor Rob Morrison in the New York area with WCBS was arrested for allegedly physically threatening his wife with a chokehold. The police officers that responded to the scene observed red marks on her neck corresponding with a chokehold. They also heard Mr. Morrison threaten, “that if he was released from police custody he would kill his wife”.
The only way to change this behavior is to learn new skills and techniques to break the cycle. The goal of domestic violence classes is to examine, discuss, and redirect abusive behavior. This is done by reviewing self-improvement strategies like learning empathy to reduce anger, understanding different communication styles and how to more effectively communicate with others, and how to better manage stress. Clients are taught skills in conflict resolution and how to change their thinking and approaches to situations that make them angry. The key is to think before you act, which might mean giving yourself a time-out to think about a situation to appropriately and calmly, evaluate it, rather than angrily react.
Classes are available online to fulfill legal requirements or for self-improvement purposes. Don’t wait until you get yourself into a situation like Rob Morrison. Learn how to change your life for the better by taking an online domestic violence class. Domestic violence or batterers intervention programs are available in 8, 12, 16, 26, 36, and 52-hour course lengths. If you take them online you can alleviate the additional hassle of having to drive across town to meet someone else’s schedule. A 16-hour DV class can be accessed from any web-based computer in your home, library or local coffee shop. Once you enroll the class becomes immediately available to you and can be logged in and out of 24/7. There is no limit to the number of times the client enters and exits the class and the computer program will conveniently hold your last spot.
Online dv classes give the client complete control to go out his or her own pace. If under the stress of a looming deadline, the client can allot time to sit down and take the class for consecutive hours. This is in contrast to traditional classrooms which usually only hold class for 1-2 hours a week.
Upon completion, a certificate of completion can be downloaded as well as sent to you. This is the document the court needs to prove you successfully fulfilled the requirement. Certificates can be overnighted if necessary.
