Dancing on a razor's edge: systemic group work with batterers

This paper describes a systemic approach to working with domestic violence which does not focus upon couple therapy but rather adapts the Duluth ‘co-ordinated community response’ model. It proposes that this model may be understood from a systemic perspective by drawing upon the ‘levels of context’ ideas prevalent within systemic therapy. The paper then demonstrates the practice of group work with men who are violent to their partners from this systemic perspective. The group work undertaken with these men may be understood as ‘systemic’ from a number of viewpoints. These include constructing the work within a systemic context, retaining a systemic perspective in the work, and adapting various systemic methods in the group work itself. In describing this approach to work with men who have abused their women partners, the authors hope to contribute to the domestic violence literature, to the understanding of group work methods within systemic work, and to the knowledge of practitioners who need to engage and work with abusive men