Participating Countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and Ukraine
Trainers: Michael Paymar and Rose Thelen from Duluth, Minnesota (USA)
Seminar Objectives
- to give participants an understanding of the Duluth Model coordinated community response to domestic violence, accountability of offender programs, the philosophical framework of the curriculum, and what makes an effective teacher/learner;
- to give participants an understanding of the themes of the curriculum, how the classes are conducted, how the control log is used, and exercises on teaching non-controlling and non-violent behavior;
- to give participants an understanding of the reality of battered women, safety planning, and advocacy; and
- to give participants an understanding of some of the strategies for working with children, education groups for women, and the role of advocacy programs in a coordinated community response.
Seminar Topics
1. The Duluth model, including:
- the role of an offender program in a coordinated community response;
- policies and standardized procedures;
- monitoring and tracking cases; and
- partner contact.
2. Program design, including:
- intake and orientation;
- sentencing recommendations (working with probation officers and the courts);
- re-offense (developing protocols);
- building safety into programs;
- discussing country specifies;
- moving from theory to practice;
- theoretical underpinnings of the curriculum;
- helping offenders understand their pattern and intention of abusive behavior; and
- helping offenders understand how their beliefs are linked to their behavior.
3. The role of the facilitator, including:
- facilitating reflective/critical thinking;
- dialogue;
- maintaining an atmosphere that is challenging, compassionate, but not colluding; and
- posing questions.
4. The curriculum: Creating a Process of Change for Men Who Batter, including:
- the action plan;
- eight themes of the curriculum; and
- defining the elements of equality.
5. From theory to practice, including:
- helping offenders understand how their feelings are linked to their beliefs;
- helping offenders understand the effects of their behavior; and
- challenging minimizing, denying, and blaming.
6. Teaching non-controlling behavior, including:
- role-playing;
- exercises used in week three of a theme; and
- teaching non-controlling and non-abusive behavior.
Creating Options for Battered Women
1. Living with the violence, including:
- historical overview of advocacy programs;
- what traps a battered woman: How community agencies respond; and
- risks for battered women.
2. Providing advocacy and options, including:
- lethality assessment;
- safety planning;
- education and support groups; and
- legal advocacy and shelters.
3. Law enforcement and the courts, including:
- calling the police–risks and benefits–and
- the criminal and civil orders for protection.
4. Strategies for working with children, including:
- the effects of violence on children and
- child safety centers.
5. Advocacy programs in a coordinated community response, including:
- monitoring the system and
- identifying gaps and problem solving.