Treatment goals for men:
Batterers are in treatment to end their violence through success with the following therapeutic goals:
- The assumption of personal responsibility for their violent behaviors
- The development of choice-making skills and options, other than violence, to resolve conflict
- The development of empathy
- The development of skills in assessing one's emotional needs and communicating them to one's intimate partner
- The equal distribution of power and control in intimate partner relationships
- The development of self-awareness
- The development of feminist-informed attitudes that counteract the systematic subjugation of women
Treatment goals for women:
Women come for support to end the violence perpetuated upon them through success with the following therapeutic goals:
- The assumption of personal responsibility for their safety
- The development of choice-making skills and options that will liberate them from their abusive situation
- The development of insight and self-empowerment
- The development of limit-setting skills to protect their emotional needs
- The understanding of the importance of equal distribution of power and control in intimate partner relationships
- The development of self-awareness
- The development of feminist-informed attitudes that counteract their systematic subjugation
The McGill Model is based upon four concepts in treatment: "Safety", "Comfort", "Content", and "Process". Students are trained how to use these concepts during their internship (see AAMFT Supervision). These concepts are applied to the teaching process as well.