‘Safe space’ offered to men with violence problems
By Aideen O'Flaherty
A PROGRAMME for men who are at risk of becoming perpetrators of domestic violence is now accepting self-referrals for their upcoming group in Tallaght.
The Tallaght MOVE (Men Overcoming Violent Emotions) Group is now in its fourth year, and offers men a six-month education programme to help them with their difficulties. Supports are also provided for the women and children affected.
Lisa Glassett, group facilitator
So far, 35 men have gone through the Tallaght programme, and the men can refer themselves to the programme if they feel they need assistance, and they will then be assessed to see if they’re suitable for the programme.
Lisa Glassett, an outreach worker from Tallaght Probation Project who is the group facilitator, told The Echo: “It’s an educational programme – we look at relationships, emotion, gender and parenting.
“We look at anger and how it might manifest itself, and we also do a lot of work around communication, because of a lot of the men [in the programme] tend to have very poor communication skills.”
A dedicated women’s worker is provided by the programme – for a period of ten months – to the spouses of the men in the programme in order to support and advise the women.
Ms Glassett added: “A lot of the time it’s women who contact MOVE when they know it’s getting out of hand. So then the men, in partnership with their partners, will submit a referral themselves.
“Men who refer themselves, or refer in collaboration with their partners, tend to be the most successful referrals we get.”
There are 12 places in the group for men who wish to seek assistance with their difficulties, and the group generally has a positive impact on those that attend.
“When they come to the group, it opens up a whole world for them,” explained Ms Glassett. “It’s a safe space where we can explore all of these issues with things like communication and anger.”
If there are any local men who wish to attend the programme, which is held once a week on a Wednesday evening in Tallaght and starts next month, they can contact Lisa Glassett, group facilitator in Tallaght, on 085 850 5340 or visit the MOVE website at www.moveireland.ie
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