Domestic Violence
Summary: Pro-Change’s domestic violence program is designed as an adjunct to traditional batterer treatment. The program aims to increase readiness to use a range of healthy strategies to stay violence-free.
These strategies include:
- Communicating with one’s partner clearly and respectfully
- Not abusing drugs or alcohol
- Controlling anger
- Seeking help outside of immediate support group
The online program in English and Spanish is designed for participants and includes male voice-overs on each screen. Printed manuals are available for participants and treatment facilitators.
Online Program
View sample screens
Printed Manuals
 |
Journey to Change: A Guide for Improving Your Relationship and Staying Violence-Free (Client Guide)
This workbook uses a stage-based approach to help domestic violence offenders get started on the road to change so they can benefit from traditional group programs. The workbook teaches users about the general principles of behavior change, their current stage of change, and stage-matched processes and strategies they can use to progress to the next stage.
Sample page from client guide
Available in English and Spanish. See our manual order page for details. |
 |
Journey to Change: Facilitators’ Manual for Using a Stage-Based Approach to Helping Domestic Violence Offenders Improve Their Relationships and Stay Violence-Free.
The manual, developed for domestic violence program facilitators who want to use the Journey to Change client guide in their work with offenders, provides:
- An overview of the four primary dimensions of the TTM
- An overview of methods for assessing stage of change in domestic violence offenders
- A description of the stage-based Journey to Change guide and other intervention materials, and how they might be integrated into traditional group treatment
- Stage-based strategies counselors can use to facilitate and reinforce change among offenders in each stage of change
- The Journey to Change client guide.
See our manual order page for details. |
 |
URICA-DV-R Stage Assessment for Domestic Violence
20-item URICA-DV-R assesses domestic violence offenders’ readiness to use healthy strategies to improve their relationship and stay violence-free. Includes a scoring sheet and guidelines for interpretation.
See our manual order page for details. |
Effectiveness
A randomized clinical trial with adult male domestic violence offenders (n=500) showed that participants assigned to the computerized multimedia TTM intervention were significantly more likely to be in the Action stage (37% vs. 12%) at the five-month evaluation than the standard care group.1, 2 The intervention increased use of all 11 violence cessation strategies examined, especially help-seeking outside of group. The intervention appeared to have its largest effect on men who drop out of traditional programs. Among dropouts who did and did not receive the TTM intervention, rates of threats were 40% vs. 88%, and rates of physical violence were 20% vs. 88% based on victim reports at 6 months follow-up.
This program was developed with support from SBIR grant R43 MH62858 from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Domestic Violence Clinical Trial Study Information (click for details)
A large-scale (n=500) National Institutes of Health (NIMH)-funded SBIR Phase II randomized clinical trial (R44 MH65828, D. Levesque, PI) assessed the efficacy of a computerized TTM-based multimedia intervention for adult male domestic violence offenders. The aim of the intervention, designed as an adjunct to traditional batterer treatment, is to increase readiness to use a range of healthy strategies (e.g., communicating with one’s partner clearly and respectfully, not abusing drugs or alcohol, controlling anger) to stay violence-free. The tailored treatment group, at program intake, 2 and 5 months follow-up, received computer-administered assessments and feedback matched to stage of change and other TTM variables. The tailored treatment group also received a manual with stage-matched information and exercises. The standard care group received assessments at intake and 5 months follow-up.
Data from the first 197 subjects in their final computer session suggest that the intervention promotes progress through the stages of change. Compared to standard care participants, participants assigned to the TTM intervention were significantly more likely to be in the Action stage (37% vs. 12%). The intervention also increased use of all 11 violence cessation strategies examined, especially help-seeking outside of group. For example, compared to standard care participants, intervention group participants were more likely to talk to clergy (27% vs. 11%), talk to a medical professional (40% vs. 22%), seek one-on-one counseling (40% vs. 31%), attend couples’ counseling (25% vs. 12%), and attend other group counseling (36% vs. 18%). Based on reports of the first 74 victims who completed a 6-month assessment by mail or phone, offenders in the TTM treatment group were less likely to engage in threats of violence (48% vs. 68%) and violence (33% vs. 47%) at follow-up. These effect sizes exceed those found in two meta-analyses of batterer treatment outcome studies relying on victim reports of recidivism (Babcock, Green, & Robie, 2004; Levesque, 1998). In the NIMH-funded study, the intervention appears to have its largest effect on men who drop out of the traditional programs. Among dropouts who did and did not receive the TTM intervention, rates of threats were 40% vs. 88%, and rates of physical violence were 20% vs. 88% based on victim reports at 6 months follow-up (Levesque et. al, 2005).
Results Published
1.Levesque, D.A., Driskell, M.M., Prochaska, J.M. & Prochaska, J.O. (2008). Acceptability of a stage-matched expert system intervention for domestic violence offenders.
Violence and Victims, 23, 432-445.
2.Levesque, D. A., Velicer, W. F., Castle, P. H., & Greene, R. N. (2008). Resistance Among Domestic Violence Offenders: Measurement Development and Initial Validation. Violence Against Women, 14, 158-184.
