A study of change processes in domestically violent men in group therapy

A qualitative study examined the application of two change process models, the transtheoretical model (TTM) and the affective change process model (ACPM), to understand the change processes reported by 14 domestically violent men (DVM) in group therapy. This article reports how DVM change (or not change) in group therapy. Out of biographies of 14 DVM, one is presented here in detail, and summaries of all biographies are given. The study found that themes from both change process models could be found in all biographies. Change processes described by DVM with alcohol and substance use problems patterned more closely to TTM, whereas DVM with emotional and behavioral symptoms patterned more closely to ACPM. This evidence, grounded in data, indicates a need for integration of these two models, adding a focus on changing communication patterns for further development of clinical group practice with DVM.