THE VISION OF ERA is to contribute to stopping violence in relationships through province-wide provision of effective, accessible, ethical services for individuals who have used abuse in relationships.

ERA is comprised of individuals dedicated to raising awareness about relationship abuse and advocating for effective, accessible and ethical prevention programs and rehabilitation services for offenders. We were previously known as the B.C. Association of Counsellors of Abusive Men (ACAM), which was incorporated as a non-profit society in 1993. The Association was formed to facilitate cooperative action toward common goals of effective policy, funding, and training; and to promote the growth and development of high quality services for men who are abusive in relationships with women.

Members of ACAM, working with victim serving agencies and provincial policy makers, developed the Guiding Principles for Services in British Columbia (1992). These principles represent our common beliefs about the most effective methods of helping men stop abuse in relationships, and are the standards we set for ourselves in order to promote quality and consistency in programs for abusive men. More recently, a revised and updated set of Guiding Principles (2005) were approved by the membership. Members of ERA support these principles as the foundation of our work with offenders to stop violence in intimate relationships.

In 2004 we decided to change our name to more accurately reflect our vision, which is to stop all relationship abuse. While many of our members were working primarily with men who use violence in relationships, a significant number were also involved in, or interested in, counselling and research related to women's use of violence in relationships and violence in same sex relationships. Our goal is to help raise awareness about all forms of abuse in relationships and to advocate for services to make change.

Each year ERA hosts a Fall Conference which gives members an opportunity to meet and to learn from each other. Topics represent current areas of interest and new developments. Speakers are North American experts in the field and our own experts and innovators. We publish Proceedings from our conferences, in order to provide information to our members, many of whom work in isolated communities or programs, and others who are interested in our work.

For your membership fee of $40/year, you will receive news of the activities of ERA and the Fall Conference and other educational opportunities and resources. You will also become a part of the development of ERA and our vision as we work together toward common goals of effective policy, funding, support and education for those working in the field of relationship abuse.