NCJ Number
112661
Journal
Social Work With Groups Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1985) Pages: 81-94
Date Published
1985
Length
14 pages
Annotation
A survey of all 13 men's domestic violence treatment groups of North Carolina found that such programs were similar in program philosophy and goals but very different in group structure.
Abstract
All programs used a feminist orientation, which views domestic violence as resulting from sociocultural and social learning factors. Groups generally focused on the development of anger control, problemsolving, and communication skills. Groups differed widely in their agency affiliation, relationship with the court as referral source, degree of structure, leadership patterns, number of members, number of sessions, degree of coordination between men's and women's programs, followup procedures, and sophistication of program evaluation. The diversity of men's domestic violence group treatment models resulted from the programs being rooted in local initiatives unrelated to any statewide guidelines. This diversity offers opportunities to test the effectiveness of various group approaches. Considerations for men's domestic violence treatment programs are outlined, and the need for systematic program evaluation and a statewide coordinating mechanism is discussed. 26 references. (Author abstract modified)