Working With Families and Couples in the Context of Domestic Violence: Narrative, Culture, and Practice
Online Workshop
with Navid Zamani, Ph.D.
Monday, April 27, 2026, 4:00 -7:00 pm ET
This training explores how to work ethically and effectively with families and couples impacted by domestic violence, with particular attention to refugee and immigrant contexts. Drawing on narrative therapy, community-based work with refugees, and clinical practice, participants will examine how violence operates across relational, cultural, and structural systems. The training balances conceptual grounding with concrete practice strategies, offering clinicians ways to assess safety, violence, and support accountability while remaining culturally responsive and relationally attuned. The Down and Forward Approach (DFA) will be offered as one particular model in which therapists can work with couples/families in active violence.
Whether you can join us in person or watch the recording later, you can earn 3 APA-approved Alliant CE credits.
Learning Objectives
This program will enable participants to:
- Articulate Narrative therapy concepts to discuss domestic violence and couples counseling in a manner that resists dominant cultural narratives in the US that center on pathology, crime control models, and individualized approaches to treatment.
- Identify key clinical tensions and risks when working with couples and families experiencing violence—such as safety, accountability, neutrality, and cultural responsiveness—and articulate Narrative-informed responses to these challenges.
- Use practical, Narrative-informed interventions when working with families and couples affected by domestic violence, including externalizing conversations, careful questioning, and culturally responsive engagement strategies drawn from refugee-serving contexts. The Down and Forward Approach will be centered as one practice model to working with families and couples challenged by active violence.
Introducing Our Presenter
Navid Zamani
Navid Zamani, PhD: “I’m an Iranian-American man who was born and raised in Southern California. I was raised in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas, until I moved to Davis, CA to continue my studies. After acquiring my BA in Psychology and minor in Music from UC Davis, I moved to San Diego to continue my studies at San Diego State University in Marriage and Family Therapy. I have resided in San Diego since 2010 and have fallen in love with the cultures, geography, food and music.
There are threads in my life that have been constant, and initiatives that have developed due to opportunities at the time and/or my location. Music has always been a big part of my life, and I continue to enjoy playing the piano/keys and the drum kit. I am an avid surfer, and enjoy outdoor activities with my wife, such as camping, hiking and biking around San Diego. Reading and writing have always been a pleasure of mine, and academia became a natural fit in this way. Gardening is also one of my obsessions and I also really love my dog. All of these hobbies are situated within a framework of experiences that come along with identifying as a heterosexual male, an Iranian-American and the experiences of biculturalism that accompany that, my ability to speak Farsi and English, my education, and the values I hold.
I grew up observing the charitableness of my family, and connected with the sense of urgency and gratitude that they experienced from helping others. I watched my mom always donate her time and money to the underprivileged and underserved. I watched my aunts (who are educators in Iran) advocate and stand up for students who often didn’t have a voice. I am continuously grounded by the love and compassion my wife models in her daily life. I truly believe that my community’s health impacts my health, and I am dedicated in supporting those in need.”