1} Living Without Violence Support and Education Group
2} Living Without Violence Individual Programme

Living Without Violence Support and Education Group

Our Living Without Violence Programme is a comprehensive 14-week programme designed to assist and empower women who have been or are traumatised by domestic violence. Women can self refer or are referred by another agency.

The main themes in the programme are;

• Taking responsibility for self and personal safety (and safety of children).
• Refusing to take responsibility for partner's behaviour.
• Naming the behaviours: the nature and effects of violence.
• Developing a sense of entitlement to all basic human rights, especially the right to live free from intimidation and violence.
• Breaking the generational cycle of violence and removing the veil of secrecy.

"This group has been great! I have had quite a few revelations while participating in the group. I have learnt to be assertive and now understand my rights and boundaries as an individual and in a relationship."

The critical content of the Women's Living Without Violence Group Programme includes teachings, exercises, discussions and support around the following topics:

• Group Building, story telling and learning about what resources are available in the community
• Developing safety plans, information on Protection Orders, how to use them and the importance of using them. The Family Court process.
• Separate anger and violence, the intentions of violence, power and control.
• Equality and respect, healthy relationships.
• Human rights, and the responsibility to exercise these rights.
• Our needs and expressing them.
• Assertiveness and models of communication.
• Violence and the social context, patriarchy. Affirmation of women.
• Sex role stereotyping and socialisation.
• Our anger. Expressing it assertively and safely.
• Boundaries, setting limits.

This gives an outline of the topics covered according to the particular needs of the group. Other topics may also be explored such as intimacy, the effects of abuse and violence on children, parenting and sexuality.

"I feel quite pleased that this programme did not help me keep my anger and emotions to a minimum, but to deal with them in a better way. Any woman in the community who has been verbally and emotionally victimised will gain volumes from this programme."

The group programme helps a woman to set up a support network by taking her out of the isolation of being in a fearful and traumatising situation and gives her neutral or understanding people to talk with. Having the opportunity to share their stories and resources within the group lifts the veil secrecy surrounding abuse and violence.

We find concerns about feeling shy, ashamed, labelled or judged soon disappear. Our highly skilled and well trained facilitators:

• Work within guidelines developed by the group.
• Adhere to our policy concerning confidentiality.
• Treat everybody with dignity and respect.

"The facilitators were a great support and ran the group in a very clear and nurturing way. I looked forward to it each week, it was wonderful to be able to relate to other women in the same or similar situation to me, I've made some good friends."

Number of sessions: The groups are held once a week for 14 weeks. They are two hours long. We have evening and daytime groups available.

Programme Presenters: All women who work for North Harbour Living Without Violence are trained in our work and have extensive knowledge and experience delivering our programmes. They also have personal qualities and life experience necessary for the work. Our women workers carry with them a profound respect and positive regard for women who have been abused. They understand the more subtle and insidious forms of psychological abuse. And know that the threat of violence or abuse can be as damaging as actual violence or abuse. Two women facilitate each group.

Feedback: Our individual programmes have been found effective, with much of the feedback we receive being very positive. Some women start an individual programme and go on to join a Women's Support and Education group after the immediacy of their situation has settled.

1) Victims of domestic violence.
2) Perpetrators of domestic violence.

Rationale for Individual Programme with female victims of Domestic Violence

We predominantly run individual programmes with those women who for health or employment reasons would find it difficult to come to a group. Our first preference however is to encourage them to attend a group, as our experience is that this is the most effective and empowering way to help women recover from the effects of domestic violence.

All material relating to the Women's Support and Education Group (theoretical context, methodology and content) is adapted to a one to one situation. All the material can be selected in any order to meet the needs of the clients. These needs may include:

1) Language difficulties (where English is not the first language)
2) Time tables are difficult to match, meaning regular attendance at the group is impossible
3) Learning difficulties (including illiteracy)
4) Mental health issues, including severe anxiety, depression and psychiatric illness

Critical Content-Living Without Violence Individual Programme for Women

• Assessment, contract and joint goal setting.
• Development of safety plans, information about protection orders and how to use them, information on undertakings.
• Separating violence from anger , intentions of violence, Power and Control.
• Equality and Respect, healthy relationships, choices about leaving and staying.
• Rights and Responsibilities
• Personal needs.
• Midway evaluation and assessment of how the sessions are meeting the clients needs in terms of increasing safety and developing a sense of entitlement to a life free of violence and abuse.
• Assertive strategies , revisit safety plan.
• Social cultural, historical and political context of abuse and violence.
• Stereotyping and socialisation-choices.
• Boundaries, setting personal limits.
• Women's anger- expressing it assertively, and safely.
• Support in the community, evaluation and closure.

  Number of sessions: This is flexible to suit the individual. Usually however, individual programmes do not exceed 14 sessions. Each session is one hour long. Appointments can be made to suit both the client and presenter.

  Programme presenters: All the women who work for North Harbour Living Without Violence are trained in our work and have extensive knowledge and experience delivering our programmes. They also have personal qualities and life experience necessary for the work.

  Feedback: Our individual programmes have been found effective, with much of the feedback we receive being very positive. Some women start an individual programme and go on to join a Women's Support and Education group after the immediacy of their situation has settled.

Critical Content-Individual Programme for Women Perpetrators of Domestic Violence

The main purpose of the programme for women perpetrators of domestic violence is to help women stop their abusive and violent behaviour by examining the beliefs and attitudes that drive that behaviour. The content of these programmes include:

• Assessment, contract and joint goal setting.
• Information about the Domestic Violence Act and boundaries set by a Protection Order, consequences of breaking a Protection Order.
• The nature of violence and abuse : Strategies for keeping oneself safe.
• Social, cultural and historical context of violence and abuse.
• Effects of violence on children, how to break the intergenerational cycle of violence.
• Mid programme evaluation and assessment of progress so far and agreement of the future number of sessions.
• Anger management - beliefs about anger and the purpose it serves. Strategies to keep oneself safe from being violent or abusive.
• Rights, responsibilities.
• Boundaries.
• Clear non abusive communication.
• Conflict resolution.
• Assessment of goals and closure.