Traditional psychological theories which focus on the pathological tendencies of the individual account for little of the reported widespread spouse abuse. Social exchange and general systems theories focus on problems in the relationship rather than problems in the person. Given that a family perspective may be helpful in long-term treatment of spouse abuse, a survey was conducted of 111 spouse abuse shelters to assess the extent to which these interventions are used. Results showed that 81% of the shelters were designed to be a resource for individuals in crisis situations. In addition, 37% of the shelters employed a general systems approach (problem-solving tasks and communication skills), while 23% used a social exchange approach (behavior modification, behavioral contracts, and role playing techniques). The findings suggest that a trend in treating the marital couple/family in spouse abuse cases is emerging. (Author/JAC)