Group work with a new population: Women in domestic relationships responding to violence with violence

An unanticipated consequence of pro-arrest policies for domestic violence is the arrest of women. With the resultant creation of court-ordered groups to accommodate this new population, a thorough understanding of the motivations, contexts, and consequences of women's use of violence is needed. Widely used current treatment models are reviewed, and a model is proposed. This model incorporates aspects of group process (group leadership, group development, Mutual aid, self-determination, and member roles) and group content (safety issues, dynamics of abuse, anger management, children's issues, coping strategies, empowerment and community resources, exploring prior victimizations, relationship issues, and self-nurturing).