Intervention Mission

HEAL’s mission is to hold those who perpetrate domestic abuse and or violence accountable for their actions.

We do this by providing an educational environment where men are helped to identify and acknowledge their use of violence or coercive control, and are offered an opportunity to explore personal accountability and options so that they can implement changes in their life. Intervention is designed to hold men accountable for their actions and beliefs.

Intervention Philosophy

Conceptual clarity is the process of ensuring that every part of a program is congruent with the underlying theory and goals. HEAL’s philosophy is firmly grounded in research and practice findings that domestic violence is a crime overwhelmingly committed by men against women. Abusive behaviour is a choice made by men that encompasses a range of coercively controlling actions that include purposeful, instrumental, and strategic behaviors used to control and dominate others for personal benefit. The HEAL Program is designed to intervene in the lives of men who abuse, in order to encourage accountability for the safety and respect of everyone. This is done with the presumption of competence and the belief that individuals have the ability to make accountable, sustainable change.

Program Design

HEAL is a 52 session intervention program for men who have been abusive. Participants attend one, two-hour group per week. The group is an open group (meaning men may enter at different times and will be at different phases of the program).

The program is based on the concept that abuse as a choice and that participants need to integrate accountability into their lives. This is a self paced program that expects weekly homework from the workbook. The homework provides participants with an opportunity to increase awareness, identify issues, tactics, core beliefs and practice accountable options in their daily lives.

Each week one of the service participants will act as group leader. The leader is responsible for opening and closing the session and following the agenda. Service participant’s introduction is reflective of their personal understanding and internalization of the program concepts.

The program is designed so that participants will move through the phases in an integrated group. The program has four phases:

• Acknowledgement - What specific behaviors did I do that gives me a reason for being in this program?
• Cornerstones – Explores the choice model, power and control wheel accountability plan, and SDR.
• Challenge – Exploration of core beliefs that allowed me to choose abusive behavior and identifying alternative accountable options
• Sankofa – The process of looking back in order to move forward toward an accountable, non-violent lifestyle.

Each phase requires the completion of specific assignments, a presentation to the group and a group vote to move on.

Program Completion Criteria

1. Complete a minimum of 52 sessions
2. Exit Acknowledgement
3. Exit Cornerstones
4. Exit Challenge
5. Complete all Sankofa assignments
6. Do a Sankofa presentation
7. Complete autobiography and any requested addendums
8. Provide appropriate documentation of minimum 8 hours mentoring
9. Have a zero balance

Mentoring

Participants learn best from each other. Mentoring is beneficial to both the mentor and the person being mentored. All participants are expected to act as a mentor to men who are new to the program.

1. Must be in Challenge or Sankofa
2. Must be on at least session 20
3. Must document mentoring time
4. Complete a minimum of 8 mentoring hours (may do more)
5. May complete mentoring in person or on the phone

Group leader will ask each week which participants need a mentor and who is eligible to mentor. It is your responsibility to volunteer as a mentor when you are eligible.

Enrichment Assignments

• These assignments may be given whenever a facilitator feels it is appropriate.
• The assignments may be assigned to an individual or the group as a whole.
• These assignments will be recorded in the group book by the group leader and presented as required on the assignment.
• There is no limit to the number of enrichment assignments an individual can be assigned.

Accountability Pledge

I commit all my efforts to seek accountability in my thinking and actions and to provide safety and respect to everyone in my life.

Partner Contact Policy

HEAL is committed to the safety of victims and to holding men who have been abusive to their partners accountable for their behavior. Releases to partners/victims are optional. Any documentation of communication with a partner is kept separate from the service participant’s file. Victims/partners will be given referrals to shelters or other appropriate survivor services organizations if necessary.