NOTE: This is the executive summary for a research project conducted on behalf of Ishtar Transition Housing Society in Langley, B.C.
Reprinted with the permission of Dorothy McKim, Executive Director

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In an effort to determine the overall need, accessibility and availability of programs for men in the Langley/Aldergrove area, research focused on what programs are currently running in the Lower Mainland and what restrictions, if any, are associated with them. The main focus has been on programs that accept voluntary clients without fees compared to those that are fee based. Private practice has not been covered in this study.

Men who believe they may be capable of assaulting their spouse or family members are left out in the cold by society. While there are a multitude of programs for the abused women, there is little or no help for men that is not court ordered. By then it
is too late – the abuse has already begun. And when it comes to the abuse having already begun, the starkness of Gavin De Becker’s 1999 book, The Gift of Fear,brings some horrifying facts to the forefront.

Research has shown that there are twenty-two programs in B.C., with twelve being in the Lower Mainland. The accessibility of those programs to the men of Langley/Aldergrove is very much in doubt. Both programs in Surrey are mandatory and one of those is strictly for Indo-Canadians. Only the Enhancing Harmony Itfak Program in Abbotsford accepts voluntary clients (without restriction) and is not fee based. Correctional Service Canada’s Research Branch has studied the effectiveness of Anger Management programs within the corrections system on a number of occasions. Three studies were completed between 1999 and 2001. Dowden, Blanchette and Serin’s Anger Management Programming for Federal Male Inmates was conducted in April 1999; followed by Sara L. Johnson & Brian A. Grant’s Review of Issues Associated with Serious Spousal Abuse, July 1999. In November of 2001 the Anger Management Programming for Offenders: The Impact of Program Performance Measures was a follow up to Dowden, Blanchette and Serin’s earlier study.

Increased insight into anger problems, knowledge of Anger Management skills and higher self-competence were all associated to significant reductions in violent reoffending, suggesting that positive treatment-related change is associated with more positive post-release outcome (Dowden, Blanchette & Serin April 1999). Completion of an Anger Management program was associated with significant reductions in violent recidivism. Of those who completed the program, only 3.6% went on to commit violent re-offences compared to 25% of those who did not complete the program. If these kinds of results are garnered from inmates within the system, what kind of results would be gained by providing these programs outside of the correctional system?

Statistics suggest that, for those men who complete Anger Management type programs, the results would be significant. In order to validate the effectiveness of current programs, a survey was conducted for all programs in B.C. A few of the respondents stated high success rates but did not elaborate how they derived those numbers. Respondents show an average of forty clients per run of the program with most programs running three times per year. Success appears to be based on incidents of recidivism among those who have participated in anger management programs or some client feedback. The most successful seem to be those that cover a wide variety of topics not just anger management. Borders and Boundaries, cognitive behavioral therapy, assertiveness skills are only a few of the many components of these programs. Statistics show that in 2004, there were over 653,000 reported cases of spousal abuse in Canada. BC accounts for 9% ( Society cannot sit back and ignore these staggering numbers. Something must be done to combat the violence at its source. That means preventative programs, not reactionary ones. The vulnerable in society must be protected and the only long term solution to this means going to the source and breaking the cycle.