Catholic Family Services - Peel Dufferin // Counselling Programs

Group Counselling And Education For Men Who Abuse Their Partners

Ministry of the Attorney General Approved Partner Assault Response Program

Woman Abuse Is A Pattern Not An Event
Woman abuse involves a continuum of abusive and controlling behaviour directed towards women by their intimate partners. There are no social, cultural, religious, financial, geographic or occupation related barriers to being abused or behaving abusively.

Do you hurt the one you love?
Have you promised, ‘I’ll never do it again’?

The PAR Program aims to reduce male abusiveness by teaching men new problem solving and relationship skills and by challenging underlying beliefs that justify male dominance. We encourage men to embrace a new view of male-female relationships based on cooperation, shared responsibility, and gender equality as the most effective means of eliminating abuse and the concomitant relationship problems created when men attempt to assert power over women.

What is the Phase I PAR Group?

The goal of this mandated group is to help men stop their violent, abusive and controlling behaviours towards their intimate partners. This is done in an educational group setting. We offer a weekly session (2 hours every Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday), in which a man, with the help of men and women facilitators can:

Acknowledge the violence, abuse and control that occurs.
Attempt to understand the reasons for the abusive behaviours.
Take increased responsibility for one’s own behaviour.
Develop and implement alternative behaviours that are not violent, abusive or controlling.
Develop more effective and non abusive communication skills.
Experience support from other men who are ending their abusive behaviour.
Receive substance abuse assessment and referral as needed.

The group experience is the core of our program.
In addition, we offer limited short-term counselling for men in crisis.

What is the Changing Men Group?

Participants will have completed Phase 1 before entering the Changing Men group

The Changing Men group is for voluntary (socially mandated) men who have chosen to come to a group to help them change their violent, abusive and controlling behaviours. This group also has men who have completed the Phase I Group and want to go further in developing a life style based on equality, cooperation and power sharing in their intimate relationships. Men in this group have accepted responsibility for their abusive behaviours and spend most of the two hour weekly group time working on strategies to become better intimate partners and better fathers.

Moving from power struggling to power sharing in intimate relationships.
Identifying specific controlling and abusive behaviour and replacing those with behaviours based on equality and respect.
Learning anger management skills that are needed to successfully give up controlling behaviours.

How to participate in Group?

Mandated Referrals
A man may be ordered into the program by the legal system. A mandating agency will be provided with letters of acceptance/rejection, and upon completion/discontinuation of the program.

Self Referral
Any man not involved with a court can voluntarily enter the program. His rights to confidentiality will be explained in the orientation session.

Other Referrals
A man may be referred to the program by clergy, social worker, counsellor, friend, spouse, partner, etc. With his signed consent, a letter will be sent informing the referring person of the man’s progress in the group.

Accessing Services

There is a fee for services.

Services are available in 16 languages.
To join a group or make a referral call the PAR Intake line: 905.897-1644 X 124

Par Counsellor: 905.897-1644 X 128
PAR Program Supervisor: 905.897-1644 X 127