NCJ Number
120952
Date Published
1989
Length
320 pages
Annotation
This book describes a group counseling treatment approach designed to help men stop their violent behavior toward their partners.
Abstract
Three chapters on theoretical perspectives discuss perspectives on wife assault, characteristics of men who assault their partners, and treatment perspectives. Chapters on individual contacts address first contacts, crisis intervention, and assessment. The chapters on treatment first review the advantages of using groups with violent abusers. The advantages include a decrease in isolation, the promotion of interpersonal skills, mutual aid among peers, maximization of confrontation, and the achievement of group objectives within a time frame. A discussion of group issues covers counseling duration, group structure, confidentiality, leadership style, time use, counselor gender, recordkeeping, and communication with partner victims. The modules are outlined for the beginning, middle, and ending phases of treatment. The beginning phase starts a transformation as a collection of diverse individuals gradually form a group based on the realization of shared problems and common goals. The middle phase involves group members' emerging realization that they are in charge of their lives. The ending phase involves preparing group members to dissolve the group. The book concludes with a discussion of such counselor issues as the emotional impact of working with violence, counselor self-care, desensitization to abuse, male identification, and the relationships between victims' and batterers' counselors. 242 references, subject index.