Battering Men and Their Male Therapists: The Different and the Similar

This paper describes the process of change in attitudes of male social workers’ towards themselves and towards their clients
who are male perpetrators of partner violence (PV). The process reveals a reconstruction of the therapist’s beliefs concerning
key elements in their work related being, such as masculinity, aggression, perception of their clients and their own male
identities. The sample includes 15 male social workers that worked with battering men in social services. Data collection
was performed through semi-structured interviews. The therapists’ process of questioning the popular and accepted demonization
of violent men clarifies what differentiates them from their clients, but also opens an authentic pathway to examining similarities
they share as men, without the need to be politically correct or to conform. The implications for practitioners working in
batterers’ intervention programs are addressed.