This course would be ideal for a service provider who currently works with family, individuals and/or specialized treatment setting for men who cause harm (men’s behaviour change programs, child welfare, etc). It would also be beneficial for therapists and counsellors who wish to gain more in-depth knowledge on how to work with men who cause harm. There is an assumption that you will have some experience in a counselling or social work setting.
We will start this course with a focus on developing the skills needed to begin initial engagement with men who have been identified as causing harm in their intimate relationships. This will help you understand the process in building a foundational relationship with and open pathways to having deeper conversation about identifying risks and developing safety strategies for keeping people in his life safe.
Then, we will shift into ways of asking about and understanding risk factors related to gender-based violence. We will examine different risk assessment tools currently in use and consider ways to integrate risk related observations we make into discussions with men who are causing harm.
After we talk about and model skills for engaging in conversations about family violence and about assessing and managing risk with men, you will have a chance to try this out. We have an actor ready! You will be expected to sign up for a time to meet with the actor and role play an interaction with him. You will video record the session for review with the group.
Course Overview
A critical part of reducing rates of gender-based violence is engaging men in conversations about their use of violence, including coercive control, sexual violence and family violence. Reviews of practice find that, all too often, service providers miss critical opportunities to open conversation with men about their harmful and abusive behaviours sometimes because they don’t know how to start these conversations or are concerned about becoming a target themselves and sometimes because of worries that they may make the situation worse. Following this work, we will shift to talking about what we need to develop critical skills in managing risk with those who have behaved abusively. As a developing GBV specialists you will work towards becoming adept at asking questions in ways that help men who have behaved abusively disclose abuse and other important information about risk, making complex and ongoing judgements about the level of empathy appropriate for assessing and managing risk, and joining with service users who have behaved abusively around a shared commitment to safety.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the participant will be able to
- Develop strategies for building authentic relationships with men in order to assess and manage risk and promote safety for others in men's lives.
- Have knowledge of static and dynamic risk factors and identify this in the context of your clients.
- Expand skill set for raising concerns with men about harmful behaviours
- Expand skill for making plans with men to avoid abusive behaviour
- Manage sense of uncertainty about future risk of abuse perpetration
- Apply this knowledge through analysis of interaction with a simulated client
More about the course
- Dates:
- Session 1: February 22nd (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET)
- Session 2: February 29th (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET)
- Session 3: March 7th (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET)
- Session 4: March 21st (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET)
- Category: Virtual (via Zoom)
- Assignment: Practice material will be given between sessions
- Certification: Available after attending all the sessions and completion of practice material.
Enrollment
Fees: $100 CAD $200 CAD (Cost is subsidized by CREVAWC for this program)
How do I enroll?
A program administrator will connect with you and will let you know of the next steps.
