Men Who Are Abusive to Their Female Intimate Partners: Incorporating Family of Origin Work into Group Treatment

This paper examines and provides a rationale for incorporating past victimization into group treatment for men who have been abusive to their female intimate partners. It begins with providing a general overview of the issue of family violence in Canada and in the U.S including statistics and an overview of group treatment effectiveness overall. It then moves into a rationale for incorporating family of origin work with a look at the impacts of exposure to family violence, the impact of trauma, and the relevance of attachment experiences. Additional theoretical rationale is also presented alongside a recognition that this kind of work seems to be rarely done within most existing treatment models. Suggestions and considerations for incorporating family of origin work are offered and finally, potential benefits and limitations are presented along with a hope for future research in the area. (Contains 1 footnote.)