More Than Words¿Responding to Domestic Violence

The proposal seeks research funds to support further development of the series, "Understanding Psychological Trauma," and to enhance its commercial viability by improving its efficacy as a training tool. To do this, Phase I funding will be used to: 1)Research, develop, and produce a two-part video of commercial quality to train health and social service professionals in recognizing and detecting signs of domestic violence, and in effective skills for intervention as an aspect of discipline-related service. This video will be entitled, "More than Words: Responding to Domestic Violence." 2) Develop and implement a test instrument that will be used to evaluate the efficacy of the training video (in terms of content and pedagogical design) ; and that can serve as a prototype for test instruments for evaluation of future videos in the series. Content for the video will be drawn from first-person testimony, interviews with recognized experts in health and social service professions, and from dramatizations demonstrating effective interaction with victims of domestic- violence. The three key elements organizing the material are: attitudes, knowledge, and skills. Off-line editing will be done on a Macintosh-based nonlinear editing system and on-line editing will use D2 technology. Upon completion, "More than Words" will become Parts 6 & 7 of the commercially successful series, "Understanding Psychological Trauma."