NCJ Number
126028
Date Published
1990
Length
9 pages
Annotation
The Family Violence Project in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada has developed an effective group treatment approach that uses a recovering abusive male and a professional female as a team in the treatment of abusive men.
Abstract
Like most current treatment programs, the program combines anger management skills with the exploration of how men learn to be violent as victims of abuse and of male socialization that promotes male dominance and aggression. In addition, the therapists strongly emphasize client involvement in the development and operation of the program. Therefore, the program trains recovering abusive men as primary group leaders. The original treatment groups were modeled on a 12-week, open-ended alcohol abstinence group. A second phase was added to provide ongoing support and relapse prevention, and a third phase included both intensive therapy and training for co-leaders of Phase I groups. Using recovering abusers as co-leaders has the advantage of overcoming the defensiveness and ambivalence of abusive men. Recovering men with group leadership experience are also effective in efforts to educate the public about spouse abuse. 2 references.