NCJ Number
150964
Journal
Families in Society Volume: 72 Issue: 9 Dated: (November 1991) Pages: 536- 542
Date Published
1991
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article describes and advocates a sequential approach to the treatment of domestic abuse; group intervention strategies with this approach are presented.
Abstract
The sequential approach starts with commitment to nonviolence and proceeds to anger management, transformation in attitudes about power and control, and marital and family therapy. Group intervention apparently is more effective than individual counseling. Group work reduces participants' sense of isolation and provides an atmosphere that facilitates the sharing of inner secrets with persons who can relate to and understand them. Also, because the primary goal is to change the abusers' attitude, peer acceptance, support, and validation of changing attitudes are crucial to the treatment process. Many men who have been victimized in their earlier years now feel victimized by their partners, when, in fact, they are victimizing their partners. Before these men can stop being the victimizers, they must change their views of their relationships. The paradigm presented in this article helps domestic abusers clarify their need for control and power in their relationships and the negative consequences of such attitudes. More positive and satisfying alternatives are offered. 24 references