Program Goals/Target Population
The Strength at Home Men’s Program (SAH-M) is a 12-week, cognitive-behavioral, trauma-informed group therapy program for active-duty or former military personnel who have engaged in recent physical intimate partner violence (IPV). The program addresses social information-processing deficits presumed to increase the risk of IPV.
Program Components
SAH-M addresses the relationship between trauma and IPV in weekly 2-hour, closed-group therapy sessions. Components include psychoeducational material, group exercises and discussion, and practice assignments that focus on recognizing core issues contributing to IPV (i.e., trust, self-esteem, power/control), understanding anger and managing responses to potentially difficult situations, developing cognitive strategies to recognize and correct misinterpretations of others, and communication skills training. Throughout the intervention, feelings of guilt and shame that may cause individuals to deny their abusive behavior are addressed, and they are encouraged to take responsibility for their actions (Creech et al. 2016).
The first two sessions of the intervention provide psychoeducation on IPV and common reactions to trauma, such as substance abuse or depression. These sessions also focus on setting goals, enhancing readiness for change, and building group cohesion and a positive alliance. The third and fourth sessions focus on conflict management skills and include material on the different components of anger such as physiological signs, thoughts, and feelings. Participants are encouraged to learn to take “time outs” to de-escalate situations and learn assertiveness skills.
The fifth and sixth sessions include specific coping strategies, with a focus on identifying and correcting negative thought patterns contributing to anger and IPV, understanding core themes underlying trauma and abusive behavior, and coping with stress more effectively. The seventh through eleventh sessions focus on communication skills, including active listening, giving assertive messages, expressing feelings, avoiding common communication traps, and on discussions of how military training and experiences may have contributed to negative relationship communication behaviors. The twelfth and final session focuses on gains achieved over the course of the intervention and plans for continued change (Taft et al. 2013). The program also includes partner outreach to ensure that any affected partners receive hotline numbers and information about other resources and safety planning (Creech et al. 2017).
Key Personnel
The intervention is delivered by two co-leaders: 1) one doctoral-level male therapist, and 2) one doctoral-level or pre-doctoral-level female therapist.
Program Theory
The trauma-informed, social information-processing model of IPV in military populations hypothesizes that trauma and PTSD symptoms may contribute to biases and deficits in the processing of social information, that can then result in the increased risk of IPV incidences (Creech et al. 2017). The program seeks to educate participants about the influence of trauma and PTSD on intimate relationship problems. In addition, the trauma-informed approach allows therapists to recognize the impacts of trauma on participants while still holding them accountable and responsible for their abusive behavior (Creech et al. 2017).