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General Tips
It is extremely important for facilitators to provide a safe, non-judgmental environment to talk about safety, sobriety and justice. It is also very important for facilitators to acknowledge a woman’s use, misuse or addiction to substances is not the cause of domestic violence or sexual assault. Offenders should always be held solely accountable for the violence they have directed towards their innocent victims. Here are some general tips for effective support groups:
- Support group facilitators need to be trained in domestic violence and sexual assault issues as well as knowledgeable about substance use, misuse and addiction.
- Use co-facilitators – if possible, one advocate and one chemical dependency counselor (the more the merrier, embrace diversity). Prioritize recruiting formerly battered women and recovering women as facilitators.
- Be flexible. Think kitchen-table; have a topic in mind but be willing to change. Let women own the group.
- Include time for women to address practical issues such as housing, legal or children’s issues.
- Make it easy for participants to use the copy machine, telephone, fax etc. Access to these items can be vital.
- Adjust group guidelines and topics depending on setting (battered women’s shelter or transitional housing program, community based domestic violence/sexual assault program, in-patient treatment facility, out-patient treatment facility, self help group or elsewhere).
- Remember, you may only see a group member once or you may have the member for three or more years. Be solution-based and friendly, but make the most of your interaction because it may be the only one you get.
- For drop-in groups, the average member comes about 12 times; make sure all participants understand they are welcome to return at any time.
- Stage 2 groups led by women themselves are good options for long-term group members.
Getting Safe and Sober: Real Tools You Can Use
©Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault 2005
