This document is intended to address the principles of safety, respect and dignity, community responsibility, competency, and our belief in human potential. These principles are the foundation of our work with offenders to stop violence in relationships.
The safety of women and children is paramount.
The direct goals of treatment are to stop the physical violence and reduce the whole array of abusive and controlling behaviours. An ancillary goal is to provide men with alternatives to abuse which encourage sharing power and decision making in a respectful relationship.
Access to women's safety services for partners is a prerequisite to the implementation of men's treatment. Supportive counselling and advocacy for women are important for the effectiveness of men's treatment in a coordinated response to violence against women in relationships. more...
A coordinated system of services for women and men ensures a consistency in consequences and response, and consequently reduces manipulation of the system by the abuser.
Sharing information and allowing for input from community agencies providing services to women increases the awareness of victim issues and facilitates mutual referral and case consultation.
Men's treatment is a sentencing option that can facilitate the criminal justice process, but close coordination between the program and probation is required to ensure compliance with treatment, or alternately, the application of appropriate consequences. Treatment holds the man accountable but should not be a substitute for sanctions. more...
Cooperation among men's treatment programs, probation, Crown counsel and the judiciary is necessary to allow breach charges to succeed, thereby increasing accountability.
An approach to each individual man that demonstrates respect and care is fundamental to the process of change. more...
A treatment philosophy which combines cognitive behavioral and resocialization approaches is recommended. Changing sexist attitudes without skill development will likely be inadequate. Use of anger management without emphasizing power and control issues and the need for more equality in relationships may increase the risk of more sophisticated abuse to meet power needs.
Group counselling is the preferred treatment modality but individual counselling is appropriate as a supplement or alternative when group counselling is not feasible. more...
Couples counselling is contra-indicated as an initial intervention, but may be appropriate at a later stage of treatment under very specific circumstances.
Abuse involves a range of controlling and hurtful behaviours. All men who have assaulted their partners are the appropriate target population for men's programs. Men who have abused their partners in other ways may also be eligible for treatment. Individual programs must retain control over the clients actually accepted for treatment. more...
Both voluntary and court-directed treatment may be useful, but programs need to ensure that their procedures do not allow men to use treatment as a means of avoiding criminal justice sanctions.
Careful assessment techniques and a policy of excluding men who clearly cannot benefit from the program are necessary to maintain the effectiveness of the program.
Written contracts dealing with attendance, participation, incidents of violence, behaviour during treatment and confidentiality are effective tools for increasing accountability and substantiating breach of probation in court. more...
Program content should include techniques that reduce denial or blaming, promote awareness of anger and abuse, provide alternative responses to abuse, increase awareness of sex-role conditioning, promote non-sexist attitudes, and explore underlying issues directly related to abusive and controlling behaviours without allowing an evasion of personal responsibility for abuse. more...
Alcohol or drug use can be a barrier to recovery and needs to be dealt with through proper assessment, referral and contracting with the man for abstinence or strictly controlled substance use when it is a relevant factor. more...
Clear written policy regarding confidentiality is advisable covering such areas as duty to warn women of danger, informing the woman of the man's attendance, suicide threats, reporting child protection issues, court-subpoena, information-sharing with other relevant professionals and future contact to evaluate programs. more...
Programs working with court-mandated men must inform the probation or relevant court official about attendance and compliance with program requirements.
Accurate attendance and clinical notes regarding assaults and other serious incidents of abuse, contact with other agencies and women partners, reports of child abuse, and any threats of violence should be maintained.
Programs should not advocate for men in legal proceedings.
Men's groups should be led by a two-person team, preferably male/female. more...
While no specific degree credentials are recommended, it is clear that staff should have clinical training, experience in group counselling, be familiar with the family violence literature, and have resolved relevant personal issues.
Former abusers can be useful staff members, but must be given support and the opportunity to continue their recovery.
Incorporating on-going support, supervision and training is required to maintain and improve the quality and durability of staff members.
While no specific degree credentials are deemed essential, it is recommended that supervision and training be provided by individuals who have facilitated a minimum of 250 hours of group counselling with men who have abused their partners.
Ongoing contact with women partners is important for assessment purposes and assurance of her safety. Contact should be based on her willingness to participate. Provision of supportive counselling or referral for such counselling should be undertaken. more...
Women should be encouraged to protect themselves through appropriate measures which may include separation or legal action even though these may be unpopular with the abuser.
Great care should be taken to be conservative in communicating expectations for change in men's behaviour so as not to bias women's self-protective decision-making.
Culturally-specific programs led by persons of that culture which incorporate relevant culturally-based material into standard treatment will likely enhance success with these groups. Education of all group programs in relevant cultural variations vis a vis abuse of women in relationships would be useful. more...
While evidence exists that men's treatment can be effective, individual programs require ongoing evaluation components to monitor effectiveness and provide feedback for continuing program development. This should be funded over and above counselling costs. more...
