Changing for Good: Violence Prevention Program

What is the Violence Prevention Program?

The Violence Prevention program is part of the Changing for Good service. The program is for men who are not using physical violence in their relationships but are worried their thoughts and behaviour may lead to violence.

The program is delivered by professional counsellors on the phone. Our counsellors will work with the men to help them be proactive and learn the tools to develop respectful and healthy relationships. Our counsellors will provide support to help strengthen all relationships in their life – intimate relationships, parenting, friendships or work colleagues.

The Violence Prevention program is free and offers:

• A high support two-month phone counselling program.
• Four phone counselling sessions that happen every two weeks and one follow up session after the program is finished.
• A professional counsellor who will work with you to understand how your behaviour impacts others and help you develop strategies to cope with anger and respond to conflict safely.

Who can join the Violence Prevention Program?

Men can apply to join the Violence Prevention Program if they can answer yes to both points below:

• Have not used physical violence in their relationships.
• Are worried that they might use physical violence.

If you are not currently using physical violence in your relationships and you have completed a Men’s Behaviour Change Program in the last 12 months, please visit our Post MBCP webpage.

If you have ever physically hurt or assaulted your partner, this is not the right program for you. A Men’s Behaviour Change Program may be able to help you. Visit our webpage to find out more.

What are some of the signs that my behaviour may be escalating towards violence?

If you are not using physical violence in your relationships, but you are worried that your behaviour is escalating and you may hurt someone, ask yourself these questions:

• Are you aware of your muscles feeling tense or clenching your jaw when you are frustrated or angry?
• Are small things frustrating you more than they should?
• Are you losing your temper more often?
• Are you struggling to control your anger?
• Are you worried you might hurt your partner or someone you know?

It may also be useful to know that there are usually many emotions behind anger, including: fear, loneliness, anxiety, stress, frustration, hurt, guilt, shame, helplessness, jealousy, embarrassment, depression and rejection.

If you are noticing that you’re angrier, frustrated, a bit volatile and are having trouble connecting and communicating with others, the Violence Prevention Program may be able to help you.

How can I apply to the Violence Prevention Program

You can apply to the program by completing the Expression of Interest Form.

1. Download the form on to your computer.
2. Complete all sections on the form. The PDF is interactive, so you can type directly on the form.
3. Once finished, save the form on your computer and email the file to our Changing for Good team.
4. Once the form has been received, our team will review it and contact you to find out further information.

Download Expression of Interest Form

What should I expect in the Violence Prevention Program?

You will work with a professional counsellor over a two-month period. The counsellor will contact you via the phone every two weeks. The appointment dates will be agreed upon ahead of time. We encourage our clients to find a quiet space for each session.

Each phone counselling session will focus on what you want to achieve, and progress will be measured along the way. Our counselling sessions will be respectful and will focus on:

• Developing a personal goal and action plan
• Establishing self-awareness
• Understanding how attitudes and beliefs affect behaviour
• Understanding trigger events
• Understanding how your behaviour impacts others
• Learning ways to deal with personal conflict
• Developing personalised strategies to deal with anger and the emotions behind anger.

The program can help you to:

• Develop safe, respectful and healthy relationships
• Recognise your triggers
• Identify your controlling behaviour
• Handle your emotions and find better ways to deal with conflict, frustration, anger and disappointment
• Learn tools to support responsible behaviour
• Improve the way you communicate with the people in your life
• Be better equipped to deal with issues and uncertainty
• Focus on personal change
• Make lasting positive changes in your relationships.

I’m looking for a Men’s Behaviour Change Program

If you are currently using physical violence and are looking for a program to help you stop, there are many Men’s Behaviour Change Programs (MBCPs) that can help. Visit our webpage to see the MBCPs that are available, and you can also Google ‘Men’s Behaviour Change Programs’ to find one near you.

If you are in an emergency situation, please call 000 immediately.

Changing for Good is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.