Overview of Psychological Services Magdalenium Civic Association Non-stop tel.: Contribution: Mgr. Yvona Fasurová

GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY Group psychotherapy is based on the assumption that everyone – even those who are not presently mentally balanced and satisfied – still have the ability and capacity to assess the problems of others.

GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY Group psychotherapy creates for its participants: an opportunity to help others (the participant feels useful, self-confidence is enhanced) an opportunity to constructively process past experiences and gradually to come to terms with a traumatic situation an opportunity to actively learn and adopt new forms of behaviour an opportunity to create a new positive outlook on the future an opportunity to become part of a group of people who have the same or similar problems (the participant does not feel excluded and alone) Goal: for clients to have a freer posture toward themselves to open new possibilities in experiences and behaviour

GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY Frequency of the groups: 1.5 hours every week or 3 hours every other week Group size: seven to ten participants Group rules / recommendations: voluntary participation in the group emphasis on a regular meeting time, place and duration attendance and a way of excusing an absence confidentiality in the sense of respect for intimate statements exclusion of verbal and physical aggression

Testimonies are given of personal experiences; support is provided for examining the issue of domestic violence; the prerequisites are created for a corrective emotional experience; group dynamics are made use of. The therapist helps: to express and processing emotions to resolve group conflicts constructively to provide interpretations to maintain a desirable ratio of discussion about participants’ past experiences and about their current problems Well-functioning groups cope worse with the approaching end of the therapy. Group members tend to meet even after the formal end of a closed therapeutic group. The Magdalenium civic association provides an option to continue addressing a complicated life situation in the form of further individual consultations.

SECONDARY PREVENTION FOR VICTIMS AND WITNESSES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE This is a therapeutic programme focused on mothers and children; sessions take the form of joint work with the nonviolent parent and the child (or children), or individual work with children. Frequency of sessions: twice a month for one year Duration of sessions: 1.5 to 2 hours

SECONDARY PREVENTION FOR VICTIMS AND WITNESSES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Goals of the therapeutic project: to strengthen positive relationships between mother and children, i.e. between victims of domestic violence and witnesses of domestic violence to disrupt the trans-generational transfer of violent and dependent patterns of behaviour to strengthen the mother’s parenting and edifying competencies to focus on making the family function in a practical and emotionally positive manner therapeutic work focused on reducing psychological tension and anxiety (apprehension and distress) and reducing expressions of aggression in the behaviour of children and mothers development of self-confidence, self-understanding, reciprocity information about forms of domestic violence and options for resolving difficult situations in a form acceptable for children, safety plan

INDIVIDUAL CONSULTATIONS Individual consultations are provided to participants who are living in shelters as well as to external clients. Introductory interview personal and family case history forms of domestic violence experienced general psychological examination, battered person syndrome. post-traumatic stress disorder assessment of current psychological state, potential suitability for psychiatric intervention provision of support, information

INDIVIDUAL CONSULTATIONS Course and focus of subsequent individual sessions addressing current difficulties family relationship framework relationship to the violent partner processing traumatic events processing a view of domestic violence the process of decision-making creating expedient strategies of behaviour preparation for handling difficult situations – court deliberation, testimony to the police, etc. development of social and communication skills relationship to children, the instrumental and emotional component of edification development of self-confidence, career focus, employment opportunities future outlook – housing conditions, material security, family arrange ment

INDIVIDUAL CONSULTATIONS Concluding interview focused on evaluating the stay in the shelter, benefits of psychological and social assistance Individual consultations are held one hour per week for the duration of the participant’s stay.

MEN AS VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE In conclusion, I would like to mention domestic violence perpetrated by women against men, and in gay relationships. During the last two years, consultations were held with 9 men representing unambiguous cases of domestic violence. Three were gay and had been living with their partners for some time in a common household. These cases involved physical as well as psychological forms of domestic violence. I am not aware of official statistics or surveys on this topic. Based on my experience, however, I can state that domestic violence in gay relationships has the same dynamic and cyclicity, and that here too the intensity of attacks rises over time. One can observe here a certain stronger tendency (compared to women) to suppress victimisation. If they are aware that they are victims of domestic violence and have thereby overcome the fear of losing their masculine identity, not in a single case did this result in a declaration as a victim.

MEN AS VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE In March 2011, a conference entitled “Men as victims of domestic violence” was held in Brno with international participation. In my paper, “Case histories of heterosexual men and gays as victims of domestic violence”, I focused on my experience from therapeutic work with men performed as external consultations for the Magdalenium civic association.

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