Education Groups for Men Who Batter

This book describes a major component of what has become known as the “Duluth Model”. It explains the methods used in our work with men who batter and offers group process techniques for facilitators of men’s groups. It is our hope that this book will assist in the understanding of the complex nature of battering and of the man who batters his thinking, the intent of his actions, and the impact of his violent behavior on the woman he batters, on his children, and ultimately on himself. Chapter I describes the curriculum based on the theory that violence is used to control people’s behavior. The second chapter overviews the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project (DAIP) and discusses the essential role of the community agencies involved. The fundamental principle that guides this project continues to be safety for battered women. To allow for communication between the counseling agencies/educational groups and the DAIP, all batterers who are court ordered to a rehabilitation program are ordered directly to the DAIP. The curriculum uses teaching tools designed to focus the group on the very difficult and complex issue of men’s violence toward women. Within a community response, the group facilitator creates the atmosphere in a group that keeps men focused on their abusive behaviors, eliminates the victim blaming that keeps them from changing. The themes discussed during the weekly group sessions include non-violence, non-threatening behavior, trust and support, honesty and accountability, sexual respect, partnership, and negotiation and fairness.