The Co-Constructing Responsibility Approach: Facilitating Change in Men Who Are Violent and Abusive Toward Their Intimate Partners and Their Children

Abstract

The co-constructing responsibility approach (CCRA) is an innovative, evidence-based clinical approach for working with male intimate partner violence offenders. The CCRA provides a comprehensive understanding of responsibility taking to address a gap in current intervention programs whose definitions of responsibility are often limited to behaviours and attitudes, reflecting the fact that their mandate is based on the Criminal Code. The CCRA claims that taking responsibility is a co-constructed process through reciprocal actions on the part of all affected members, one this process must be meaningful for both the male offender and those who are harmed by the abuse. The main goal of the CCRA is to facilitate a transformative change in male offenders by achieving two aspects of responsibility: intrapersonal and interpersonal. The CCRA uses shame as a core therapeutic mechanism to invite men to own their shame and, importantly, to link it to their yearning, which can lead them to take responsibility and to help redeem the dignity of all those affected, including themselves. This article outlines the theoretical foundation and provides guidance for the clinical application of the CCRA. It is inspired by current qualitative and field research involving men who are violent and abusive.