Braden Counseling Center’s Partner Abuse Intervention Program, (P.A.I.P.) is most often completed by individuals who have been accused of, or have engaged in, abusive behaviors with a significant other. This program focuses on resolving the root of the problem to help with long term change.
Domestic Violence is a learned behavior and it is these learned behaviors that have caused you trouble. Our program is designed to help you unlearn the problematic behaviors, and understand why they are problematic, so you can have healthy relationships in the future. Healthy communication, respect, and conflict resolution are focused upon during the program.
Our program consists of a two hour evaluation/intake session followed by weekly group sessions that are 1 ½ hours in length. The State of Illinois mandates at least 26 weekly groups for completion of the program. There are groups held separately for men and for women, and are also conducted in English and Spanish.
To begin the program, call and schedule an appointment for an evaluation/intake session. This intake session is to determine if you are appropriate for the program and/or if you are in need of other services. The intake fee is $100 and is due at the time of service. Enrollment in this program is open to anyone who experiences this challenge. The fee for each group session is $60.00. There is a sliding scale rate available to those who qualify.
This program is Court Approved and all staff members are required to complete a 40-hour Domestic Violence Training and a 20-hour Partner Abuse Intervention Program Facilitator Training.
Stopping the Cycle of Violence
Domestic violence and emotional abuse behaviors are those used by one person within a relationship, or living situation, to control another person. The person could be a spouse, partner, a child, or elderly relative.
Examples of Abuse
Abuse of another comes in many forms, including:
- Repeated name calling and belittling
- Isolating a partner from family and friends
- Withholding money
- Discouraging a partner from getting or keeping a job
- Actual or threatened physical harm
- Sexual assault
- Intimidation
- Stalking
Domestic violence often escalates from emotional, psychological, and financial abuse, to criminal behavior that can end in serious harm to another.
Domestic abuse can take many forms. It can happen now and then, or all the time.
Stopping or preventing domestic abuse is complicated, but recognizing the warning signs, and seeking help, is a good way forward.
Seeking Domestic Violence Counseling
Helping victims of domestic violence requires helping both abusers and their victims, to move past traumatic experiences. This often requires helping victims of violence to get to safety, so they can heal, and treating abusers independently.
Without domestic violence counseling, nothing changes. The cycle of violence continues. Abused children who carry their scars into adulthood often perpetuate the very abuse that they suffered or seek out abusive relationships because they are what the person is used to.
The trauma, if left unaddressed, may also manifest as lost jobs, broken relationships, substance abuse, or any number of unhealthy behaviors.
Why Abusers Abuse
There is no one answer that explains why people who repeatedly abuse others continue their actions. Sometimes, the abuse pattern was learned early in a home where an adult abused another adult. Growing up witnessing and/or experiencing violent behavior tends to shape a person’s world in terms of victims and perpetrators. When one spends their childhood as a victim, the tendency is to become an abuser without realizing the tremendous pain being caused to others.
Many abusers believe themselves to be victims, which they often were, who are now justified in their violent actions. Typically, this type of abuser craves the control that was missing in their early life.
Many states are now mandating domestic abuse therapy as an alternative to going to jail.
Such programs are based on a number of things, including the one factor that experts agree on, domestic abusers crave complete control.
Men who abuse tend to believe that they should be dominant in a relationship. Women abusers also want control. Whatever actions an abuser takes, the sole purpose of those actions is to control a situation to get what they want.
Benefits of Domestic Abuse Therapy
Many abusers benefit from domestic abuse therapy simply by learning how to recognize triggers, and to manage those triggers instead of blaming everyone else for failures and shortcomings. Confronting patterns of inflicting abuse on others takes honesty, and a commitment to breaking the pattern.
Abusers often have guilty feelings about their patterns, and experience fear, anger, resentment, and sadness over the state of their situation.
Whatever their feelings, the reality is that without domestic violence therapy, abusers will probably not change, because they do not have the tools to do so.
Domestic Abuse Counseling for the Abuser
The Braden Counseling Center’s Partner Abuse Intervention Program (PAIP) serves individuals who have with been accused of, or engaged in, abusive behaviors.
The program is designed to get to the root of the abusive pattern to effect long-term change.
PAIP consists of a two-hour evaluation/intake session followed by weekly, one-and-a-half-hour sessions. For people who are facing restraining orders, or other consequences of their actions with respect to perpetrating abuse, the state of Illinois mandates a minimum of 26 weeks for completion of the program. Group sessions are held separately for men and for women.
PAIP is court-approved and all our facilitators are required to complete a 40-hour domestic violence training and a 20-hour Partner Abuse Intervention Program Facilitator training. Additionally, all of our facilitators are required to complete annual continuing education.
Patterns of abuse and domestic violence are often learned behaviors. To change these behaviors, they need to be identified and unlearned.
Healthy relationships are built primarily on respect for self and others along with the ability to communicate and resolve conflict without resorting to violence.
Domestic violence has reached epidemic levels with an estimated $8.3 billion being spent annually on health care services that are required as a result of domestic violence. In addition, statistics from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) state that 55% of women murdered in 2017,died at the hands of their current or former partner. These statistics do not reflect the percentage of childhood survivors of domestic violence that grow up and often perpetuate the model of violence they experienced as children.
Braden Counseling Center can Help
Our goal at Braden Counseling Center is to teach individuals new skills to help them to manage and to live their lives more effectively.
Today’s world presents us with every day, ongoing challenges that can be extremely frustrating, even if we have the skills to meet them. If we do not have the tools to navigate life, then meeting these challenges becomes overwhelming and abuse is sometimes the result.
Braden Counseling Center, and its experienced staff, are licensed by the State of Illinois to provide mental health services aimed at coping along with providing a variety of evaluations.
We offer our clients:
- Flexible scheduling, including weekends
- Counseling and medication services
- A free initial consultation
- Verification of insurance benefits
- Cash and credit card payment options
At the Braden Counseling Center, we also offer programs committed to breaking the escalating cycle of violence.
Call us today to schedule an evaluation and intake session. The intake session will determine if the PAIP program is appropriate for you and whether you may need additional services.
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