Sunny Came Home - Shawn Colvin

Sunny came home to her favorite room Sunny sat down in the kitchen She opened a book and a box of tools Sunny came home with a mission She says days go by I'm hypnotized I'm walking on a wire I close my eyes and fly out of my mind Into the fire Sunny came home with a list of names She didn't believe in transcendence It's time for a few small repairs she said Sunny came home with a vengeance She says days go by I don't know why I'm walking on a wire I close my eyes and fly out of my mind Into the fire Get the kids and bring a sweater Dry is good and wind is better Count the years, you always knew it Strike a match, go on and do it Days go by I'm hypnotized I'm walking on a wire I close my eyes and fly out of my mind Into the fire Light the sky and hold on tight The world is burning down She's out there on her own and she's alright Sunny came home Sunny came home...

Emerging Issues in the Treatment of Abusive Men

Breaking the Cycle

     "While treatment programs for batterers have proliferated in the United States over the past 20 years, little is known about these programs by other human service providers, and much less by the general public." (Adams, David).  Our text, by Lundy Bancroft, provides a list of 13 "Steps to Change" when discussing an "abusive man's process of change"(pg. 339).  I was hoping to read about successful cases of abuser's addressing and ultimately reforming their ways and truly benefiting from therapy.  However, I was greatly disappointed, very frightened and highly depressed as I got to the end of Chapter 14 realizing there was no example of a happy ending in contrast to all the citations throughout the book regarding abusive behavior.  As I write this I have to ask myself... is there really any hope?
     I reviewed Bancroft's suggested online resource "Emerge" and while I can appreciate that their "primary goal is to help people have better relationships by helping them to stop choosing harmful behavior" I can't help but feel even more unsettled as the site goes on to the state that "Measuring recidivism is difficult, since there are many types of violence which are not easily tracked".  After reading so many stories, watching videos, and researching information regarding IPV and family violence I am simply at a loss to think that as a society we will ever overcome this horrifying condition of physically, sexually, and verbally abusing others.  I don't feel there will ever be such a thing as an "abuse-free world" as Bancroft goes on to discuss in Chapter 15.  However, I do believe the men, women and politicians of our country need to make the issues relating to domestic violence much more of a priority if we are to even begin to limit its prevelance and seeming acceptance in our states, towns, and homes.
WEB RESOURCES:
1.  http://www.emergedv.com/index.php/f-a-q/abuser-education-faq/
This is a link to the FAQ section relating to Abuser Education.  Emerge declares that it is the "first abuser education program in the United States".
2.  http://www.growing.com/nonviolent/research/dvprog/index.htm
This site offers results based on a study conducted by San Jose State University of the effectiveness of "domestic violence programs" and discusses how "In response to a high incidence of domestic violence, courts have sought a social solution to wife abuse that does not lead to further crowding of jails (Heise, 1994)".


JOURNAL RESOURCE:
"Treating the Abusive Partner: An Individualized Cognitive-Behavioral Approach", Murphy & Eckhardt
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