A friend informed me that I had been quoted on this list from my research and publications regarding this topic. I noted that Martin Dufresne appeared to misrepresented my own views on the efficacy of counseling men who are abusive with their partners.
For the record, I believe that participants who are in these programs adhering to recommended guidelines (existing in most states and provinces throughout North America now) do not for the most part re-assault. Nor do they do so after program completion up to as much as 18 months post-intervention (as far as most studies have gone to ascertain recurrence of violence). It is true, however, that we are less certain about the cessation of non-physical abuse, such as psychological or emotional torment, though some studies also show a decrease or cessation for that as well. My belief is based on a majority of studies I have seen through extensive lit. reviews that address the question. I can add that my personal experience as a counselor of abusive men seems to bear out what the studies have shown. Far from considering counseling or some other form of psycho-social work as useless, these programs can be a great asset in complementing a criminal justice intervention. Moreover, their "success" needs to be measured also in terms of the added surveillance factor --how they help keep an eye on offenders, and, perhaps most importantly, how they may help the victim by informing her that she is not to blame, about her partner's progress or failure in the program, and just the respite it may offer her if he is hounding her less. Just as shelters for battered women have shown they may help save lives (including that of offenders possibly killed by terrorized victims), so too do these "batterer intervention and prevention programs" hold out potential to de-escalate things and make it safer for victim and perpetrator. Last but not least, the collective impact of specific programs whose mission is to address men's violence may in fact be contributing towards challenging the myths about partner abuse and countering that aspect of men's culture that has minimized or denied violence against women over the centuries. For more information on recommended standards for these domestic violence offender programs based on our U.S. and Canadian surveys, plus other publications in which I recap the above-mentioned studies and their conclusions, please visit my web site: http://www.ivsi.net Juergen Dankwort, Ph.D. Vancouver, B.C. (Canada) ***End-violence is sponsored by UNIFEM and receives generous support from ICAP*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe end-violence OR type: unsubscribe end-violence Archives of previous End-violence messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/end-violence/hypermail/
