Innovative Counseling Provides Help to Male Victims of Domestic Abuse

From the early stages of the domestic violence movement over 35 years ago, victim programs and services have been primarily directed toward women.  While the majority of domestic violence victims are women, abuse of men happens far more often than you'd probably expect. 

Data collected from national statistics suggest that as many as one in three victims of domestic violence are male. However, men are often reluctant to report abuse by women because they feel embarrassed, or they fear they won't be believed, or worse, that police will assume that since they're male they are the perpetrator of the violence and not the victim.  In New Jersey, women are the victims in 76% of police reported cases (one in four male victims.)

The Resource Center of Somerset has welcomed male victims of domestic abuse for counseling for years.  Recently, the number of men attending individual counseling began to grow.  Knowing the benefits of peer support through group interaction, our clinical staff created a men's group. 

The group's focus is about the needs of a male victim going through a system in society which is mostly female-focused when defining victims of domestic abuse.  The group shares their feelings through discussion on topics such as understanding domestic violence, assertiveness, appropriate boundary setting, positive and healthy coping strategies and defining healthy relationships.  As the group continues, they will further examine how their roles as men, fathers and/or husbands/partners is affected by being a victim of domestic violence and life after divorce should that become part of their reality.