Working with men’s responses to conflict and domestic violence Workshop – Hobart, TAS

This workshop explores key skills for working effectively with men’s responses to conflict situations using a child centre approach. It explores practical ways workers can respond when working with men who experience high levels of conflict or use violence in family relationships. Responses are powerful and active ways to work with men and change.

Resistance is often seen as a negative response of avoidance that occurs between workers and clients in individual counselling or group work situations. However, resistance can also provide another more valuable and affirming perspective when used within strength based approaches. Dignity is the capacity for someone to care adequately for others and resistance to high level conflict situations occur as people preserve their own or some other person’s dignity.

This workshop explores skills and exercises used in conflict resolution that value resistance that maintains basic dignity and responses to conflict that build insight, responsibility and change. It builds upon the experience of participants and introduces a range of practical tools that can be used with clients in a variety of settings. It focuses on:

• the use of the domestic violence framework
• using the generative approach to working with men and conflict/ family violence issues
• using a child centred approach to support change
• ways to focus on respectful relationship skills
• differences between anger management and family violence work
• supporting men to access additional services
• using response based approaches to create insight, responsibility and greater safety
• tools and exercises to use when working with men to enable them to better regulate conflict issues.