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Questions and Answers about ADA

1. What is ADA?
2. How does a man get into ADA?
3. Why does this information sheet refer to batterers as men?
4. How much does it cost to go to ADA?
5. Is this program confidential?
6. How long is the ADA program?
7. What is the design of the ADA program?
8. Does ADA offer individual counseling for batterers?
9. Can I refer someone to ADA for assessment only?
10. Does ADA offer services to women who assault their male partners?
11. Are all the men in ADA court ordered?
12. Who is an appropriate referral to ADA?
13. Why does ADA conduct drug and alcohol assessments?
14. Does ADA serve gay batterers/abusers?
15. Why do men drop out of ADA?
16. What is ADA’s success rate?
17. What other services does the ADA Program offer?
18. Interested in additional information about ADA?
19. Why did we stop taking Insurance for Service Participants in the ADA Program

1. What is ADA?

   ADA stands for Alternatives to Domestic Aggression. ADA is a program that specializes in working with men to stop their use of abuse or battering. The purpose of ADA is to end domestic violence and abuse in our community. ADA is a program of Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County. We offer services on a non-denominational basis, so we work with people of all, or no, religious affiliations.

2. How does a man get into ADA?

   By calling 734.971.9781 Ext. 430 for an application packet, completing the application and returning it to ADA in the self addressed stamped envelope included in the application packet, he then would attend the next orientation session. Orientations are held approximately every other Thursday so there is never a waiting period. Orientation meetings are from 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. After attending an Orientation, he is assigned to a group and is scheduled for an assessment. We offer services to men who batter or use abuse and who reside in any geographic area.

3. Why does this information sheet refer to batterers as men?

   In 95-98% of all cases of domestic violence, the batterer is a man. ADA is a program that specializes in working with men to stop their use of abuse or battering.

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4. How much does it cost to go to ADA?

   Tuition is based upon ability to pay. Because ADA is part of Catholic Social Services, a United Way agency, NO ONE is ever denied service because of inability to pay. Below, you can see the sliding tuition scale. Assessment appointment fees are assessed on a slightly different scale. The ADA Program is always willing to negotiate reasonable requests for tuition reductions.

Group Tuition Sliding Scale
Effective March 1998

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5. Is this program confidential?

   Yes. Like all social service professionals we maintain the confidentiality of service participants. Like other professionals, there are circumstances when we are ethically bound to convey confidential information about service participants. Examples of this include when it is believed that children are being abused/neglected, or when we believe the service participant is an imminent threat to someone.

6. How long is the ADA program?

   The ADA program is 52 sessions long, minimum. Sessions take place weekly, unless there is a holiday or other interruption. We offer groups in the mornings and the evenings. Groups meet for 2 hours.

7. What is the design of the ADA program?

   The ADA Program has been designed with the following groups that are outlined below.

Orientation - Men are introduced to the policies and goals of the ADA Program. Men discuss issues including confidentiality, tuition cost, attendance requirements and are encouraged to ask questions about what to expect in the ADA Program.

• Groups Meet ~ Approximately every other Thursday 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.

  Discovery - Men answer the question "Do I have a reason to be in this program?" Men see their own behavior in others and learn from those who have been working for longer period of time at making personal changes. Once they conclude they do have a reason to be in this program, they move into the Battering Tactics Group.

• Groups Meet ~ Monday Mornings: 9:00 a.m.-11:00. Tuesday Evenings: 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

  Foundations - We focus on the 3 Foundation elements of the program;
  

1. The Power and Control Wheel
2. The Choice Model
3. The Accountability Plan

• Groups Meet ~ Monday Evenings: 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Wednesday Mornings: 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.

  Tactics - Men learn to identify, label, and acknowledge their battering behaviors.

• Groups Meet ~ Monday Evenings: 8:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Tuesday Evenings: 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Tuesday Mornings: 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
  1. What is and isn’t domestic violence?
  2. Why do I commit this crime?
  3. What causes domestic violence?
  4. How do alcohol or drugs affect violent behavior?
  5. What has to happen for the abusive or violent behavior to stop?
  6. What does loss of control have to do with domestic violence?
  7. What does anger have to do with domestic violence?
  8. Who should be accountable for what happened?
  9. Who is doing the battering?
  10. Where do power and control fit into the picture?
  11. Where is the problem?
  12. What are your attitudes about women?
  13. Myths about domestic violence
  14. Physical Abuse
  15. Accountability Plans
  16. Sexual Abuse
  17. Intimidation
  18. Threats and Coercion
  19. Emotional Abuse
  20. Obfuscation
  21. Isolation
  22. Economic Abuse
  23. Using Others
  24. Male Privilege

Options - Men practice accountable interpersonal skills, which they will use at all times instead of selectively using them.

• Groups Meet ~ Monday Evenings: 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., Monday Evenings: 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., and Tuesday Afternoons: 11:15 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.
  1. Accountability Plan
  2. Accountable Defenses
  3. Accountable Emotions
  4. Accountability
  5. Accountable Sexuality
  6. Accountable Relaxation
  7. Accountable Self-talk
  8. Accountable Communication
  9. Accountable Assertiveness
  10. Accountable Parenting
  11. Accountable Aggression
  12. De-escalation
  13. Accountable Acceptance

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Does ADA offer individual counseling for batterers?

Yes. We do offer individual counseling. However, this is generally in addition to group intervention, not instead of. Group intervention has proven to be the most effective modality for men who use abuse or violence on their family. Many couples seek marital/couple counseling because they think the problem is one of communication. This is not the case. The man as a means of controlling his partner will utilize domestic violence tactics. Marital counseling, in cases where there is domestic violence, puts the woman at risk for further abuse. Men who abuse need to be in group intervention programs with other abusers. Couples counseling is NEVER an appropriate way to deal with domestic violence. Therapists who offer couples counseling when domestic violence has occurred or is occurring do not understand the dynamics of domestic violence, and are practicing unethical and unsafe services.

9. Can I refer someone to ADA for assessment only?

   Yes. We can report our conclusions and/or status of a referral to anyone for whom a service participant has signed a release of information authorization.

10. Does ADA offer services to women who assault their male partners?

No. We specialize in offering these services to men only. There are programs to which we can facilitate a referral.

11. Are all the men in ADA court ordered?

    No, about 85% of the men in ADA are court ordered. The rest are what we call "circumstance ordered", "socially mandated", or "consequence ordered." We say this because many men come to ADA as a way to save their marriage, keep their partners from leaving, pressure their partners to return if they have already left, manipulate the court regarding child custody or visitation, or to avoid other unwanted circumstances. ADA’s goal is NOT to "save" or "end" relationships - it IS to end his violence and/or abuse.

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12. Who is an appropriate referral to ADA?

    The following list of questions is taken from the ADA brochure.

"If you are concerned about being abusive with your partner, ask yourself these questions and consider them as the warning signs of a problem."

• Was there violence in your family?
• During conflict do you often threaten someone, break things, punch walls, slam doors, ignore her, or leave?
• Do you have mood swings, where one moment you feel loving and affectionate, and the next moment angry and threatening?
• Have you ever used physical violence (shoved, grabbed, hit, slapped, strangled, etc.) on your partner, or any past partners?
• Do you tend to blame others for your behavior, especially your partner?
• Are you a jealous person?
• Do you try to control how your partner thinks, dresses, who she sees, how she spends her time, how she spends her money?
• Do you try to discourage her from seeing her friends or family?
• Do you get angry or resentful when she is successful in a job or hobby?
• Do your conversations quickly escalate into threats of separation or divorce?
• Do you ever threaten to hurt her, yourself, or others, if she talks about leaving you?
• Do you do or say things that are designed to make her feel "crazy" or "stupid"?
• Do you blame alcohol, drugs, stress, or other life events for your behavior?
• Do you feel guilty after your aggressive behavior and strive for her forgiveness?
• Do you think that you could never live without her, yet other times want her out of your life?
• Do you use sex, money, or other favors as a way to "make up" after conflict?
• Is your partner afraid of you sometimes?
• Have you ever said "don’t make me angry"?

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13. Why does ADA conduct drug and alcohol assessments?

    Research indicates that approximately 55% of batterers/abusers have a history of problems with alcohol or other drugs. ADA staff must be aware of this history in order to provide the most effective services. Please note that alcohol or other drug intoxication or problems NEVER cause domestic violence. To offer treatment only for alcohol or other drug problems will neglect the dynamics of domestic violence and the battering or abusive behavior will continue.

14. Does ADA serve gay batterers/abusers?

    Yes. Gay batterers/abusers can be seen on an individual basis or in the ADA batterer intervention groups.

15. Why do men drop out of ADA?

    Many men choose to drop out of ADA when they learn that they will be held accountable for their abusive behavior. The ONLY reason men drop out of ADA is because they have made the decision to continue their abusive behavior, although their excuses will vary.

Here is a list of some of the common excuses men frequently use when they choose to drop out of the program:

• "My tuition is too high."
• "They don’t have reasonable hours."
• "Those facilitators are too strict."
• "I don’t want to do it if I have to be in a group."
• "The facilitators don’t understand our situation."
• "I’m not as bad as the rest of the men in the group."
• "The facilitators blame men for everything!."
• "The attendance policy is unreasonable."
• "I’m better now."
• "The facilitators think I have an alcohol or drug problem and I don’t."
• "The facilitators only concentrate on the bad, not the good."
• "This is a relationship problem, I don’t have a problem."

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16. What is ADA’s success rate?

    Ultimately, ADA is as successful as each man is committed to changing his life. We offer specialized intervention services to men. If they choose to use our services, men can change their behavior, attitudes and thinking. If they are committed to avoiding change, they will be successful in avoiding change.

17. What other services does the ADA Program offer?

    Ongoing: The ADA Program provides training and educational presentations to organizations, classes or individuals who are interested in learning more about the dynamics of domestic violence and men who batter.

2000: The ADA Program began offering intervention services within the Washtenaw County Jail through a program called “CHOICES”. The ADA Jail Intervention Preparation Program is a 12 session education series designed to prepare men, who are in the Jail facility, to either enter into a long term batterer intervention program upon release from custody, or to enter into the ADA long term batterer intervention program within the jail facility. The “CHOICES” program is funded as a part of the Judicial Oversight Demonstration Initiative Grant Program U.S. Department of Justice - Office of Justice Programs Violence Against Women Grants Office awarded $10,000,000 to Washtenaw County in 1999 for a 5 year period.

2001: Later in the year ADA began to develop and offer batterer intervention services geared to the adolescent population. This development of programming was initiated by a request from the Washtenaw County Juvenile Detention Center.

18. Interested in additional information about ADA?

    Please feel free to call if you would like to find out more about the ADA Program.

19. Why did we stop taking Insurance for Service Participants in the ADA Program

    History:

    When we began the ADA Program in 1986 our philosophy and practice were evolving. This philosophy initially grew out of our clinical practice and training. Clinical practice is wholly different from batterer intervention work as we know it today. Today we do not call what we do "treatment" or "counseling" we call it intervention. Intervention is about education, consequences, confrontation, acknowledgment, identification, etc.

    Philosophy:

    We believe that battering is about the conscious, intentional and premeditated act to control and dominate another person. Battering is instrumental behavior. This is not a diagnosable "ailment" any more than bank robbery or speeding in an automobile is. Further if indeed an individual has a diagnosable illness/condition they would require proper treatment for that. Battering is not an illness or a condition.

    Diagnosis:

    In order to bill an insurance company for services there must be a diagnosis for the "patient" there is no diagnosis for an individual who chooses to dominate and control an intimate partner. If, for example, we were to diagnose an individual as having an Intermittent Explosive Disorder there would be a number of problems.

    1. To begin with, according to the DSM-IV this disorder is "apparently rare";
    2. Given our philosophy (that battering is a choice which the batterer makes) we would not be offering treatment for this diagnosis, thereby committing insurance fraud, i.e. The treatment you offer must be for the disorder you are diagnosing;
    3. An Intermittent Explosive Disorder is classified as an Impulse Disorder-Battering is not caused by an impulse disorder!

    Law:

    Most insurance company policies state that they will not cover court ordered treatment. Often times the provider and the company collude to look the other way and not document the court ordered aspect of the treatment.

    Consequences:

    We believe that consequences* (not punishment) are a cornerstone of what is necessary to stop battering. It just does not make sense that a consequence for committing a violent crime could be covered by the benefits of employment/insurance.

    Cost:

    The cost of maintaining a psychiatrist, keeping up with the immense demands of record keeping necessary for insurance billing compared with the revenue generated from the insurance reimbursement was prohibitive. Further our sliding scale ability made it feasible for service participants to pay approximately the same tuition as their co-pay. The trend in the insurance industry is towards treatment of an extremely "shorter duration" than we believe necessary for individuals who batter.

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*Consequences should educate as a response to the behavior and the severity of the consequence should match the severity of the behavior. We believe that punishment is about self-interest and collusion and therefore is inappropriate in a batterer intervention service.

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