“Consumer” Recommendations for Batterers Programs

Abstract

This exploratory “consumer” study summarizes the responses of batterers and their female partners to an open-ended question asking for recommendations for batterer programs. As part of a multisite evaluation (N = 840 men), 594 men and 616 female partners responded 3 and 6 months after—program intake. Nearly half of the men (42%) and half of the women (54%) made no recommendations, suggesting acceptance of the programs' approaches and formats. However, 14% of the men and 13% of the women did recommend modifications. Men's recommendations were more likely to call for more supportive counseling, and women's recommendations were more likely to relate to safety and information. Only a very small percentage (6%) of women recommended couples or coeducational counseling. Men with higher education and White women were more likely to offer recommendations. Recommendations significantly varied by program site, but no association existed for program dropouts.

Control of the Self: Partner-Violent Men’s Experience of Therapy

“…This difficult task in intervention may challenge the power-control paradigm of battering men's relationships in general, and specifically with women. This is coherent with the batterers' recommendation that programs should be more individually supported, for example, providing more individualized attention (Gondolf & White, 2000), and with Saunders' (1996) research, which found that treatment programs should be tailored not only to the violent behavior but also to the specific personality type. For example, Saunders discovered that batterers with dependent personalities had better outcomes in the psychodynamic treatment groups, whereas those with antisocial traits had better outcomes in the cognitive-behavioral groups.…”

Regional and Cultural Utility of Conventional Batterer Counseling

“…The moderate program effect, moreover, is confirmed by circumstantial evidence from a deterrence analysis showing little impact of perceived sanctions (Heckert & Gondolf, 2000), the women's attribution of change to the programs, men's use of avoidance techniques from the programs (Gondolf, 2000a), and program recommendations from men and women (Gondolf & White, 2000).…”

“…On the other hand, several quasi-experimental designs and our controlled analyses (using propensity scores and instrumental variable analysis) indicate an effect for at least some programs Jones, D'Agostino, Gondolf, & Heckert, in press). The moderate program effect, moreover, is confirmed by circumstantial evidence from a deterrence analysis showing little impact of perceived sanctions (Heckert & Gondolf, 2000), the women's attribution of change to the programs, men's use of avoidance techniques from the programs (Gondolf, 2000a), and program recommendations from men and women (Gondolf & White, 2000).…”