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Daniel G. Saunders
Professor Emeritus of Social Work
Daniel Saunders, professor of social work, established one of the first intervention programs for men who batter and helped to establish crisis and advocacy programs for battered women in the 1970s. His research, teaching, and service center on the problems of dating and domestic violence. His specific studies focus on offender program evaluation, the traumatic effects of victimization, and the response of professionals and the public to dating and domestic violence. His research has been funded by the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute of Justice. In addition, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholars grant to conduct research at the Te Awatea Violence Research Centre, University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Professor Saunders' most recent projects involve an evaluation of supervised visitation programs for the children of battered women and a survey of child custody evaluators regarding their beliefs about domestic violence. Based on his publication record, a 2019 report listed him in the top 100 most influential contemporary social work faculty. In 2024, the analytics company Elsevier listed him among the world's top 2% of scientists.
Research Interests/Focus
Domestic and dating violence, direct practice, program evaluation.
Contact Information
| Phone | Room | Address | |
|---|---|---|---|
| saunddan@umich.edu | 4668 SSWB | University of Michigan School of Social Work 1080 S. University Ann Arbor, MI 48109 |
Education
| Year | Degree | School | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | PhD | Counseling and Guidance | University of Wisconsin, Madison |
| 1973 | MSW | Social Work | University of Wisconsin, Madison |
| 1969 | BA | Psychology | St. John's University, Collegeville, MN |
Measurement Instruments
Publication List and Repository
| Full list of publications on Google Scholar Citations |
| Publications available in University of Michigan's Deep Blue repository |
Resources on Autocracy and Defending Democracy
| Organizations & Experts on the Rise of Autocracy & Defense of Democracy |
| Books on the Rise of Autocracy & Defense of Democracy |
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Saunders, D.G. (2015, April). Fathering challenges/fathering opportunities: Engaging intimate partner abusers through their roles as fathers. Keynote address at a conference at the University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. |
| 2015 | Saunders, D.G. (2015, April). Typologies of intimate partner abusers and their implications for danger assessment and interventions. Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. |
| 2015 | Saunders, D.G. (2015, April). Child custody evaluations and domestic violence: New research and implications for practice. Presentation for the Violence Research and Prevention Program, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. |
| 2015 | Saunders, D.G. (2015, March). Child custody evaluations and domestic violence: New research and implications for practice. Waikato University, Hamilton, New Zealand. |
| 2015 | Saunders, D.G. (2015, March). Child custody evaluations and domestic violence: New research and implications for practice. New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse, Auckland, New Zealand. |
| 2015 | Saunders, D. G. (2015, February). Finding out what's going on: How to assess motives, impacts, danger levels, and violence typologies in cases of intimate partner violence. New Zealand Ministry for Women, Wellington, New Zealand. |
| 2008 | Saunders, D., Sullivan, C., Tolman, R., & Grabarek, M. (2008). Domestic violence offenders visiting their children: An avenue for healing and change. Presented at the American Psychological Association's Summit on Violence and Abuse in Relationships: Connecting Agendas and Forging New Directions, Bethesda, MD. |
| 2007 | Saunders, D., Sullivan, C., Tolman, R., & Grabarek, M. (2007). Key findings of the national evaluation of the safe havens demonstration initiative. Presented at The City of Chicago Safe Havens Project Demonstration Initiative Experience. |
| 2007 | Saunders, D. G., Sullivan, C., Tolman, R. M., & Grabarek, M. (2007). The impact of the safe havens demonstration initiative on beliefs and practices: Reports from center staff & project directors. Presented at the Supervised Visitation & Domestic Violence: Guideposts for Advancing Practice, Policy, and Dialogue, Denver CO, U.S. Department of Justice. |
| 2007 | Saunders, D., Sullivan, C., Tolman, R., & Grabarek, M. (2007, January). Domestic abuse survivors perceptions of safety and reports of abuse in the context of supervised visits and exchanges. Presented at the SSWR Annual Meeting: Bridging Disciplinary Boundaries, San Francisco, CA. |
| 2007 | Saunders, D., Sullivan, C., Tolman, R., & Grabarek, M. (2007, January). Evaluation of a project to enhance the safety of domestic violence survivors in the context of supervised visitation and exchange. Presented at the SSWR Annual Meeting: Bridging Disciplinary Boundaries, San Francisco, CA. |
| 2006 | Saunders, D., Sullivan, C., Tolman, R., & Grabarek, M. (2006, November) Survivors' perceptions of supervised visitation and exchange: Preliminary findings from the Safe Havens Demonstration Initiative National Evaluation. Presented at the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, Final Meeting of Safe Havens Demonstration Site Grantees, Santa Fe, NM. |
| 2006 | Saunders, D., Sullivan, C., Tolman, R., & Grabarek, M. (2006, October). Survivors' perceptions of supervised visitation and exchange: Preliminary findings from the Safe Havens Demonstration Initiative National Evaluation. Presented at the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women,The Safe Havens Landscape: Integrating Safety for Victims of Domestic Violence into Everyday Practice, An Institute for Safe Havens Grantees, St. Paul, MN. |
| 2005 | Saunders, D., Sullivan, C., Tolman, R., & Grabarek, M. (2005, September). Safe havens demonstration initiative evaluation: Current status and new results. Presented at the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, Safe Havens National Steering Committee Meeting Seattle, WA. |
| 2005 | Saunders, D. G. (2005, August). Group interventions for men who batter: A summary of program descriptions and research. Presented at the United States Department of Defense Domestic Violence Intervention/Treatment Protocol Development Working Meeting, Alexandria, VA. |
| 2004 | Saunders, D. G. (2004, April). Interventions for men who batter: Some promising innovations. Keynote address presented at the Annual Meeting of the Wisconsin Batterers' Treatment Providers Association, Appleton, WI. |
| 2003 | Saunders, D. G. (2003, June). The effectiveness of programs for men who batter: What do outcome studies tell us? Presented at the International Research Exchange, Prague, Czech Republic. |
| 2003 | Saunders, D. G. (2003, July). Offender intervention outcome studies: What can the domestic violence & sexual assault fields learn from each other? Keynote address presented at the 8th International Family Violence Research Conference, University of New Hampshire. |
| 2003 | Saunders, D. G. (2003, September). Comparisons between domestic violence and sexual assault intervention programs: Potential lessons for research and programming. Poster presented at the 8th International Conference on Family Violence, San Diego CA. |
| 2003 | Saunders, D. G. (2003, October). The place of a typology of "maritally" violent men within a nested ecological model: A response to Holtzworth-Munroe and Meehan. Presented at the meeting: Toward a National Research Agenda on Violence Against Women: A National Research Conference, University of Kentucky Center for Research on Violence Against Women. |
| 2002 | Anderson, D. K., Saunders, D. G., Yoshihama, M., Bybee, D. I., & Sullivan, C. M. (2002). Levels of stress and coping as predictors of psychological well-being among women who have left violent relationships. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Social Work Research, San Diego, CA. |
| 2002 | Saunders, D. G., & R. Hamill. (2002, January). Offender interventions to end violence against women: A research synthesis for practitioners. Paper presented at the meeting of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, Committee on Law and Justice, Center for Social and Economic Studies, Division on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, Washington, DC. |
| 2002 | Saunders, D. G., Holter, M., Pahl, L., Tolman, R., & Kenna, C. (2002, September). Evaluation of domestic violence training for caseworkers: What survivors report. Paper presented at the 7th International Conference on Family Violence, San Diego, CA. |
| 2002 | Saunders, D. G., Holter, M., Pahl, L., & Tolman, R. (2002, August). The evaluation of a domestic violence training for caseworkers. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the National Association of Welfare Research and Statistics, Albuquerque, NM. |
| 2001 | Saunders, D. G., Holter, M., Pahl, L., & Tolman, R. (2001, October). Predictors of caseworkers' use of the family violence option. Paper presented at the Trapped by Poverty/Trapped by Abuse conference, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. |
| 2001 | Saunders, D. G., Bellamy, C. D., McPherson, M. D., & Faller, K. C. (2001, September). Evaluation of an interdisciplinary child welfare training project. Paper presented at the 6th International Conference on Family Violence, San Diego, CA. |
| 2001 | Saunders, D. G., Fennell, J., Deichert, K., & Kenna, C. (2001, July). Partner selection by men who batter: Relationship to their personality disorders & violent behavior. Poster presented at the 7th International Family Violence Research Conference. University of New Hampshire. |
| 2000 | Saunders, D. G., Tolman, R. M., & Plichta, S. (2000, September). Domestic violence and receipt of welfare associated with emotional well-being in a nationally representative sample of the United States. Presented at the 5th International Conference on Family Violence, San Diego, CA. |
| 1999 | Callahan, M. R., Tolman, R. M., & Saunders, D. G. (1999, April). Is adolescent dating violence victimization related to psychological well-being? Poster presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Albuquerque, NM. |
| 1999 | Saunders, D. G., Holter, M., Pahl, L., & Tolman, R. M. (1999, April). The evaluation of a domestic violence training for caseworkers. Presentation at the conference, Trapped by Poverty/Trapped by Abuse, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. |
| 1999 | Saunders, D. G., Tolman, R. M., & Plichta, S. (1999, April). Relationship among woman abuse, welfare, and emotional well-being in a national sample of U.S. women. Presentation at the conference Trapped by Poverty/Trapped by Abuse, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. |
| 1999 | Saunders, D. G. (1999, April). Beyond interventions: The promise of prevention strategies. Keynote address presented at the conference, Healing Domestic Violence Trauma, Somerset, NJ. |
| 1998 | Saunders, D. G. (1998, September). An empirical review of the response of professionals to battered women: Implications for esearch on advocacy and primary prevention. Presentation at the conference, Advocacy Research for Battered Women, University of Washington. |
| 1998 | Saunders, D. G. (1998, July). Behind the scenes: Practical and ethical issues encountered in a treatment study of men who batter. Paper presented at Program Evaluation conference for family violence researchers, University of New Hampshire. |
| 1998 | Saunders, D. G., & Anderson, D. (1998, July). Evaluation of a domestic violence training for child protection workers & supervisors. Paper presented at the conference on Program Evaluation for family violence researchers, University of New Hampshire. |
| 1997 | Saunders, D. G. (1997, November). How effective are batterer's programs? What do we know about what works? Keynote address presented at the Maryland Statewide Roundtable on Abuser Intervention Programs. |
| 1997 | Weisz, A., Tolman, R., & Saunders, D. G. (1997, June). Predictions of harm by battered women: Do battered women know best? Paper presented at the Fifth International Family Violence Research Conference, University of New Hampshire. |
| 1997 | Saunders, D. G., & Tolman, R. (1997, June). Leader methods and group cohesion related to outcome in groups for men who batter. Paper presented at the Fifth International Family Violence Research Conference, University of New Hampshire. |
| 1997 | Saunders, D. G. (1997, June). Fitting the offender to treatment: The need for multiple treatment models in working with men who batter. Paper presented at the Fifth International Family Violence Research Conference, University of New Hampshire. |
| 1997 | Chang, H. S., & Saunders, D. G. (1997, June). Predictors of attrition in two types of batterers' counseling. Paper presented at the Fifth International Family Violence Research Conference, University of New Hampshire. |
| 1996 | Ai, A., & Saunders, D. G. (1996, June). Gender differences in post-CABG psychosocial recovery: Implications for interventions. Poster presented at the 60th Annual Meeting of the Society of the Psychological Study of Social Issues. |
| 1996 | Saunders, D. G. (1996, November). Empowerment counseling for battered women: Awareness of the need for social change as a factor in trauma recovery. Poster presented at the 12th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, San Francisco, CA. |
| 1996 | Saunders, D. G. (1996, September). Cognitive-behavioral and process-psychodynamic treatments for men who batter: Interactions between offender traits and treatment type. Paper presented at the Symposium on Psychosocial Interventions at the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research and the National Institutes of Health, Washington, DC. |
| 1996 | Saunders, D. G. (1996, October). Differentiating the methods and content of cognitive-behavioral and process-psychodynamic groups for men who batter. Presented at the 12th Annual Symposium for the Empirical Foundations of Group Work, Ann Arbor, MI. |
| 1995 | DeKeseredy, W. S., Saunders, D. G., Schwartz, M. D., & Alvi, S. (1995). The meanings and motives for women's use of violence in Canadian college dating relationships: Results from a national survey. Paper presented at 1995 annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology. |
| 1995 | Saunders, D. G. (1995, July). Matching domestic violence offender types to treatment methods: Evidence from an experimental comparison of two treatments. Paper presented at the 4th International Family Violence Research Conference, University of New Hampshire. |
| 1994 | Saunders, D. G. (1994, June). Working together to end domestic violence. Keynote address presented at the 15th Annual Meeting of the Erie County Coalition Against Domestic Violence. |
| 1994 | Saunders, D. G. (1994, November). Attributions and expectations about domestic violence as risk factors for PTSD. Poster presented at the 10th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Chicago, IL. |
| 1994 | Saunders, D. G. (1994, November). Cognitive-behavioral and process-psychodynamic treatments for men who batter: Interactions between offender traits and treatment outcome. Poster session presented at the 28th Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, San Diego, CA. |
| 1993 | Saunders, D. G. (1993, May). Leader methods and group cohesion related to outcome in groups for men who batter. Presented at the Ninth Annual Symposium on Empirical Group Work, Ann Arbor, MI. |
| 1993 | Chang, H., & Saunders, D. G. (1993, May). An analysis of attrition in batterers' counseling. Paper presented at the Ninth Annual Symposium for Empirical Group Work, Ann Arbor, MI. |
| 1993 | Saunders, D. G. (1993, January). Traumatic stress symptoms of battered women: Implications for practice and research. Presentation at the Brown Bag Seminar, University of Michigan, School of Social Work, Ann Arbor. |
| 1993 | Saunders, D. G. (1993, February). Cognitive-behavioral vs. process psychodynamic treatment for men who batter: Summary of preliminary findings. Paper presented at the conference, Working with Men Who Batter: A Research and Practice Update, University of Wisconsin, Madison. |
| 1993 | Saunders, D. G. (1993, October). Predictors of recidivism among men who complete treatment for woman abuse. Paper presented at the symposium, Domestic Violence: Outcomes and Risk Factors, Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Phoenix, AZ. |
| 1992 | Hamberger, L. K., & Saunders, D. G. (1992, April). Medical diagnostic characteristics differentiating battered and non-battered outpatient women. Poster presented at the meeting of the Society for Teachers of Family Medicine, St. Louis, MO. |
| 1991 | Saunders, D. G. (1991, August). Preventing injuries from marital violence. Presented at the First National Intentional Injury Work-In-Progress Monitoring Workshop, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. |
| 1991 | Hamberger, L. K., & Saunders, D. G. (1991, August). Battered women in non-emergency medical settings: Incidence, prevalence, and physician inquiry. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco, CA. |
| 1991 | Kindy, P., & Saunders, D. G. (1991, October). A method for evaluating physicians' responses to battered women in primary care settings. Poster presented at the 12th Forum for Behavioral Science in Family Medicine, Chicago, IL. |
| 1990 | Saunders, D. G., & Kindy, P. (1990, April). Physicians' responses to battered women in primary care settings: The effects of training and gender. Presented at the American Educational Research Association, Boston, MA. |
| 1990 | Saunders, D. G. (1990, June). The traumatic aftermath of violence against women. Presented at the NIMH Research Scientist Development Awardees Conference, Chevy Chase, MD. |
| 1990 | Saunders, D. G. (1990, November). The tendency to arrest victims of domestic violence: A preliminary analysis of officer characteristics. Paper presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Baltimore, MD. |
| 1989 | Saunders, D. G., & McDonald, L. (1989). Physical abuse among siblings: Causes and consequences. Workshop presented at the conference, Family Violence: The Connections Among Its Many Forms, Madison, WI. |
| 1989 | Saunders, D. G. (1989). Typologies of men who batter: Implications for treatment and research. Presented at the conference, Family Violence: National and International Perspectives on Research, Policy and Practice, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia. |
| 1989 | Saunders, D. G. (1989, November). Who hits first and who hurts most? Evidence for the greater victimization of women in intimate relationships. Paper presented at the 41st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Reno, NV. |
| 1988 | Dexter, H. R., Penrod, S. D., Linz, D., & Saunders, D. G. (1988). Exposure to media violence and the blaming of assault victims. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of APLS. |
| 1988 | Pyle, R. L., Perse, T., Mitchell, J. E., Saunders, D. G., & Skoog, K. (1988). Abuse in women with bulimia nervosa. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, Toronto. |
| 1988 | Saunders, D. G. (1988, July). Are there different types of men who batter? An empirical study with implications for treatment. Paper presented at the Third National Conference for Family Violence Researchers, University of New Hampshire. |
| 1988 | Saunders, D. G., & Perse, T. (1988). Agoraphobia associated with woman abuse among patients of an anxiety disorders clinic. Paper presented at the Fourth World Congress on Victimology, Lucca, Italy. |
| 1988 | Saunders, D. G., & Parker, J. (1988). Legal sanctions and treatment follow-through among men who batter. Paper presented at the 40th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Chicago, IL. |
| 1987 | Saunders, D. G., & Rose, K. (1987, July). Attitudes of psychiatric and non-psychiatric medical practitioners toward battered women: An exploratory study. Paper presented at the Third National Conference for Family Violence Researchers, University of New Hampshire. |
| 1985 | Saunders, D. G. (1985, December). Men who batter: Who are they and what helps them change? Keynote address presented at the conference, Breaking the Silence: Second Annual Institute on Domestic Violence, Anchorage, AK. |
| 1977 | Saunders, D. G. (1977, May). Violence hits home: Woman battering as a widespread social problem. Paper presented at the conference, Violence Hits Home, University of Wisconsin, Platteville. |
| 1974 | Saunders, D. G., & Garfinkel, J. (1974, December). Communication and contract training in a group for couples. Paper presented at the 12th Annual Conference of the International Group Psychotherapy Society, Chicago, IL. |
| 1973 | Saunders D. G. (1973, December). Behavior therapy with complex problems: A case illustration. Paper presented at the meeting of the Family Service Board of Directors, Madison, WI. |