PRESENTED BY: Dr Silke Meyer
Dr Silke Meyer is the Lecturer in the Postgraduate Programs (Certificate and Diploma in Domestic and Family Violence Practice), CQUniversity.
Punitive approaches to perpetrators of domestic and family violence often have little effect on sustainable behaviour change and interventions seem to be most successful where perpetrators are motivated to engage. Thus, it is important to identify motivating factors that can be used to encourage active engagement in behaviour change programs. This presentation is based on interviews with 21 perpetrators mandated to attend a behaviour change program as the result of breaching their Domestic Violence Order. Significant themes that emerged from the interviews were perpetrators’ desires to be a better father and role model and to maintain a relationship with their children. These findings suggest that ‘fatherhood identity’ may be an angle to consider when trying to engage abusive men in behaviour change programs.