Working with men who use violence

Working with men who use violence

Online two-day course 

A two-day specialist course that provides advanced knowledge and skills required to work with and engage users of violence to assist them to take responsibility for their violence, and to work towards changing their behaviour and enhancing the safety of their family.

This course utilises several therapeutic approaches to equip participants with the tools required to establish the user’s willingness to change, confirm the user’s responsibilities and work respectfully with the user to plan and monitor changes. This relationship creates the context for the intervention and is constructed within a framework that promotes user responsibility, accountability, self-agency, and direction towards change while maintaining a focus on the safety of others.

This course utilised the state-based risk assessment tools and has been developed in line with national competency CHCDFV007 Work with users of violence to effect change and CHCDFV009 Establish change promoting relationship with users of domestic and family violence.

Outcomes of Learning

1. Establish and maintain professional, respectful, and safe practices
2. Establish willingness and capacity to address violent and abusive behaviour
3. Establish focus on users’ responsibility for change and conditions for intervention
4. Engagement strategies through Motivational Interviewing and Invitations to Responsibility and Invitational Narrative Approaches.
5. Finding the middle ground: Engage in non-collusive practice with men who use violence
6. Provide opportunities for the user to safety plan, initiate and provide ongoing support to monitor change

Day One Overview

• Redefining FDV and coercive control
• Worker roles and responsibilities in line with risk frameworks and best practice
• Safe practices for engaging men who use violence (mindset, beliefs, and tactics)
• Screening: Identify signs or indicators of FDV risk
• Perpetrator risk factors (typologies and stages to homicide)
• Introduction to theoretical orientations when engaging men who use violence (deep dive on day 2)

Day Two Overview (focusses on skills building activities of therapeutic tools)

• Impacts of FDV behaviour on whole of family functioning: what we need to know as practitioners
• FDV informed language and documentation
• Therapeutic Tools (theory and practice):
• Change Talk: Motivational Interviewing
• Invitations to Responsibility
• Ethical Conversations
• Narrative Approaches
• Engaging in safety planning. Referrals and monitoring change
• Adopting self-care strategies when exposed to FDV

Trainer/Facilitator

 DART Institute CEO, Jolene Ellat 

Training Resources

Workbooks and resources will be sent 48 hours prior to the training date with links via Humanitix. 

Questions about the training

Please email info@dartinstitute.org.au