Response Based Therapy

Response-Based Therapy is an approach to treating the psychological trauma that results from violence. This approach uses elements of Solution-Focused Therapy and Narrative Therapy as well as discourse analysis. This combination assists the therapist in paying close attention to the way in which language is used to describe both the act of violence and the victim’s response.

Typically, language is used in a manner that blames and pathologizes victims. Response-Based Therapy is based on the idea that whenever people are treated badly they resist, and that this resistance is important regardless of whether it stops the violence or not. Therapy consists of using language to 1) expose violence, 2) clarify the perpetrator’s responsibility, 3) bring to light and honor the victim’s resistance, and 4) recognize victim blaming.