Figure 3-1
Models for Batterers' Intervention Programs
The "Duluth model," as it is commonly called, was developed at the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in Duluth, Minnesota, (Pence, 1989; Pence and Paymar, 1993) and is probably the most widely used model for batterers' intervention programs in the United States. There are many variations on the Duluth model, but all feature victim safety and community coordination as cornerstones and require batterers' programs to be accountable to victims and to victim advocates. The Duluth model is based on confronting the denial of violent behavior, exposing the manifestations of power and control, offering alternatives to dominance, and promoting behavioral changes. It calls for communitywide intervention that employs the resources of law enforcement, courts, domestic violence shelters and advocates, health providers, and batterers' programs. A batterers' program cannot, in this model, exist without the other components in the network. Although some experts feel that the Duluth model tends to encourage shame and guilt rather than real change, it sees domestic violence not as a form of personal pathology, anger and hostility, or substance-induced behavior, but as an outcropping of men's socially sanctioned domination of women. Batterers' programs developed under this model are designed to educate men about power and control, not merely to assist them in managing anger or personal problems. Communitywide coordination ensures that batterers are arrested and prosecuted and that victims are protected.
The psychoeducational model promotes responsibility for violent behavior and the development of mechanisms for self-regulation, empathy or compassion for others, and appropriate emotional vocabulary to express intimacy. Safety precautions for significant others, no-violence contracts, provision of information, changing attitudes toward women, reinforcement or development of values via modeling, anger and stress management, and assertiveness skills are key features of this cognitive-behavioral approach (Palmer et al., 1992; Stosny, 1995). Group and individual treatment can be utilized within this model, although single-sex groups tend to be the norm. Results of one study suggest that highly structured groups (with defined curricula, homework assignments, and skilled facilitation) work more effectively than less structured groups (Edleson and Syers, 1990, 1991).
Couples therapy treats men who batter together with their partners, often in a group setting. This is a controversial approach to batterers' intervention that has fallen into disrepute because of concerns about partner safety, its "implicit message that both partners are equally responsible for the violence," and its failure to acknowledge the role of gender and historical power inequities (McKay, 1994, p. 36). Substance abuse treatment providers should not treat batterer-and-victim couples together without consulting a domestic violence expert.
As part of the survivor's safety plan, it may be helpful to advise the survivor client to keep important documents in a safe deposit box or in a place where her partner cannot gain access to them. These materials may include some or all of the following:
Social security documents
Marriage license
Passport(s)
Copies of any protective orders or divorce or custody papers
Green card
Children's birth certificates
Information about medical history, including vaccination schedules for children and records on health care visits
Extra sets of home and car keys
Photographic documentation of abuse
Deeds or leases that document residence, titles to cars
Other financial documents such as savings deposit books and payment books
All States have mandatory reporting laws for child abuse, but only some have or are developing such laws for reporting domestic violence. Some battered women's advocates support such laws because they "take the pressure off" the victims to report their batterers. Some domestic violence service providers also believe that it is the community's responsibility -- not the victim's -- to stop the batterer's behavior. Some States mandate the arrest of batterers whether or not their victims press charges, and some are proposing mandatory physician reporting of battering. Concerns have been raised, however, about preserving victims' ability to decide whether they want to become involved in the criminal justice system or in domestic violence programs.
For this reason, such laws are opposed by some battered-women's groups, who believe they put women at greater risk.
Regardless of whether a survivor elects to pursue legal remedies, she is well-advised to document the nature and extent of the domestic violence she and her family have experienced by compiling copies of
Criminal justice reports, including prior legal actions (e.g., restraining orders) against batterers
Any previous CPS reports that can be obtained
Hospital records and health history of the client
Complete criminal justice and medical records may be difficult to obtain. In the case of medical records, for example, survivors may have made visits to numerous institutions (e.g., clinics and emergency rooms) in order to avoid raising the suspicion of domestic violence. Issues of confidentiality also may be an impediment to obtaining these records. (See Appendix B for more information on confidentiality.) When clients are unsuccessful in compiling information from standard sources, their self-reports to substance abuse treatment providers, documented in their program records, can be used to fill in the gaps and to help support their claims. When entering notes into the client's record, however, it is important to include the facts as presented or observed. Records can be subpoenaed and "gratuitous comments or opinions" may be used against survivors in custody cases (Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women, 1992, p. 41).
Screening for Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) teams in hospital emergency rooms
Health administrators
Veterans health care systems
Primary care physicians
Obstetricians/gynecologists
Pediatricians
Nurses and nurses assistants
Midwives
Nurse practitioners in adult, obstetrician/gynecologist, and pediatric settings
Physician assistants
Public health workers
Dentists
Emergency medical technicians
Medical social workers
Home health services
Forensic examiners
Plastic and maxillofacial surgeons
Physical, speech, and occupational therapists
Health educators
Wellness groups
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Supplemental Food Program specialists
Alternative medicine practitioners
Health care programs (e.g., infant mortality reduction programs, HIV/AIDS programs, and tuberculosis programs)
Justice System
It is important to understand the operations of the court system in your jurisdiction and to identify the judges who oversee
Drug cases
Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) infractions
Child abuse and child neglect cases
Domestic violence violations
Custody cases
It is also useful to identify experts in the following offices and programs:
Probation and parole
Legal Aid
District Attorney's office
Family courts
Specialty units of attorneys (e.g., for child abuse and neglect and family violence)
Jails and prisons
Bail bondsmen
Law enforcement (all levels, e.g., sheriffs and police)
Pretrial release agencies
Public defenders
Divorce attorneys
Pro bono attorneys
Juvenile detention facilities
Victim assistance programs
Appropriate section of the local Bar Association
Education/Schools
School boards
School administrators
Teachers
Teaching assistants
School counselors
Vocational education and training counselors
Guidance counselors
Special education specialists (emotional and physical problems)
Early intervention specialists
School psychologists
School social workers
School nurses
General equivalency diploma (GED) specialists
Head Start and child care specialists
Physical education teachers and coaches
Prevention specialists
Parent -- teacher organizations (PTOs)
English as a Second Language (ESL) classes
Literacy volunteers
Adult Education
Night schools
Community colleges
Senior day care centers
Native-American centers
Hispanic-American centers
Asian-American centers
Employers
Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
Human resource administrators
Foundation administrators
On-the-job counselors and social workers
Social Welfare
Foster care (family foster care, relative foster care, and residential foster care, including group homes)
Social welfare administrators
Social workers
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
Welfare-to-work programs
Food stamp programs
WIC
Child protective services
Adult protective services (especially for elderly persons)
Head Start
Income maintenance
Child care programs
Transportation subsidy programs
Community-based child abuse and neglect prevention services and programs
Hotlines
Family support programs
Community-based family agencies (provide parent education and specialized counseling for children at low or no cost)
Family preservation programs
Homeless shelters
Maternal and child health programs
Women's programs
Domestic Violence
Hotlines
Shelters
Child care workers and child advocates
Programs for children in violent families
Transitional living (homeless) experts
Clinicians, public and private (e.g., therapists)
Victim services
Model programs offering specialized services for sexually abused children
Programs for batterers
Legal advocacy systems
Visitation centers for children
Support groups
Surveillance systems
Abuse and assault hotlines
Rape crisis programs
College-based date rape programs
Survivor support groups
Forensic nurse examiners
Mental Health
Clinicians (e.g., psychiatrists, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatric nurses)
Child guidance centers
Mental hospitals and institutions
Community-based activity centers for deinstitutionalized persons
Group homes and halfway houses
Hotlines and crisis centers
Hospital inpatient units
Hospital outpatient services
Community mental health centers
Outpatient day services (community mental health day hospitals)
Substance Abuse
Residential or inpatient detoxification programs, intensive residential programs, and therapeutic community programs and services (private, public, and combined)
Outpatient drug-free, methadone maintenance, and partial-day programs and services (private, public, and combined)
Self-help groups (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, and Rational Recovery)
Al-Anon (support groups for families of substance abusers)
Figure 6-2
Facets of Collaboration Between Substance Abuse Treatment and Domestic Violence Programs
Perceptions and Attitudes of Those Working in the Field
Barriers
Stereotypes, generalizations, and myths about the other field
Opportunities
Special joint conferences to explore common ground and bridge gaps
Action Ideas
Develop cross-training courses for providers in network through community college or other sources
Exchange agency newsletters
Serve on one another's board of directors
Arrange continuing education unit credits for participants
Funding and Reimbursement
Barriers
Limitations on reimbursable services, particularly under managed care
Limitations imposed by the terms of funded research, which may constrain the program's ability to provide needed services
Opportunities
Work with State Director to incorporate language in managed care contracts to support needed services
Identify other funding sources more amenable to services being offered and seek funding for specific program components
Action Ideas
Learn about blended funding strategies
Adjust program accounting system to receive and account for blended funds
Track outcomes of clients receiving services from linkage partners and document their outcomes for research and funding entities; use results to secure additional funding
Welfare Reform
Barriers
Increased limits on shelter stays
Opportunities
Increased funding of collaborative and innovative programming
Action Ideas
For example, in Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Women's Center has developed a collaboration between employment maintenance organizations, health maintenance organizations, and community-based organizations to establish specialized services for survivors who are substance abusers
Fundraising
Barriers
Limited availability of funds from any source
Opportunities
Identify appropriate partners for funding opportunities and lay groundwork for response to funding opportunities
Identifying funding sources is in and of itself an incentive to establish linkages
Action Ideas
Partner with a proven "fundraiser" to supply a needed specialized service (e.g., via subcontract)
Send interested staff to grant-writing workshops
Through board/community contacts, identify an advocate who will introduce the program to potential funders
Identify a volunteer who will review the CBD and other resources for Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Requests for Applications (RFAs)
Publicize positive program results continually
Convene a meeting with local funders and discuss the feasibility of encouraging joint applications between domestic violence and substance abuse providers
Sociopolitical Issues
Barriers
Prevailing political climate, which does not readily offer support for treatment programs
Relative newness of both fields and their lack of history, which does not easily allow documentation of success
Lack of social acceptance for both programs
Perception of domestic violence as a "woman's field," in contrast to the perception of politics as a "man's world"
Opportunities
Grassroots-level recognition of the overlap of the problems of substance abuse and domestic violence
Research and evaluation to document the effectiveness of both efforts in ways that are understood by policymakers
Action Ideas
Form political action coalitions
Programmatic, Staffing, and Logistical Concerns
Barriers
Wide variety of different agencies and agendas with which programs must work
Growing push for higher credentials
Opportunities
Expanded roles of counselors and other professionals in each field; increased respectability and acceptance of these fields
Action Ideas
Work with the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors to explore this issue fully and investigate credentialing implications
Seek legitimacy for staff skills through courses developed and offered by recognized bodies (e.g., colleges and associations)
Recordkeeping and Data Management
Barriers
Increasing need for employees to have computer skills and for organizations to have access to on-line and other technological resources
Opportunities
Increased information available for staff to use
Increased ability to provide documentation of successes
Action Ideas
Joint training, leadership programs, staff and materials exchange, information and evaluation exchange
Relationship With the Criminal Justice System
Barriers
Competing need for information
Therapeutic alliance versus prosecution's adversarial need for information
Opportunities
Develop boundaries and administrative/therapeutic splits to protect information being used for treatment from information related to behaviors and actions
Relationship Between Workplace and Treatment
Barriers
Identification of domestic violence problems can have adverse impact on career no matter what the resolution of the case
Opportunities
Develop a problem-based definition of abuse that is linked to behavioral goals
I understand that my records are protected under the Federal regulations governing Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Client Records, 42 C.F.R.
Part 2, and cannot be disclosed without my written consent unless otherwise provided for in the regulations. I also understand that I may revoke this consent at any time except to the extent that action has been taken in reliance on it, and that in any event this consent expires automatically as follows:
__________________________________________________________________________
(Specification of the date, event, or condition upon which this consent expires)
Figure B-3
Prohibition on Redisclosing Information Concerning Substance Abuse Treatment Clients
This notice accompanies a disclosure of information concerning a client in alcohol/drug abuse treatment, made to you with the consent of such client. This information has been disclosed to you from records protected by Federal confidentiality rules (42 C.F.R.
Part 2). The Federal rules prohibit you from making any further disclosure of this information unless further disclosure is expressly permitted by the written consent of the person to whom it pertains or as otherwise permitted by 42 C.F.R.
Part 2. A general authorization for the release of medical or other information is NOT sufficient for this purpose. The Federal rules restrict any use of the information to criminally investigate or prosecute any alcohol or drug abuse client.
(Name of the program)
("the Program") hereby enter into a qualified service organization agreement, whereby the Center agrees to provide the following services:
1. Acknowledges that in receiving, storing, processing, or otherwise dealing with any information from the Program about the clients in the Program, it is fully bound by the provisions of the Federal Regulations governing Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Client Records, 42 C.F.R.
Part 2; and
2. Undertakes to resist in judicial proceedings any effort to obtain access to information pertaining to clients otherwise than as expressly provided for in the Federal confidentiality regulations, 42 C.F.R.
Part 2.
Executed this _____ day of __________, 199__.
__________________________
President
XYZ Service Center
(Address)
__________________________
Program Directory
(Name of Program)
(Address)