FAQ about Abuse Education

I’m not a “batterer.” I don’t need something like Emerge, do I?

The term “batterer” often has very negative connotations. It seems to imply repeated or severe physical violence toward a partner. Because of this, many people who might otherwise want to stop their abuse and improve their relationships shy away from Emerge or similar programs. A number of people who come to Emerge report no physical abuse, but they do report an extensive history of emotionally or verbally harmful behavior towards their partners or families.

Our primary goal is to help people have better relationships by helping them stop choosing harmful behavior. Harmful behavior includes emotional abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse (including emotional or physical affairs), or controlling behavior. Some actions often considered minor, such as alienation or insensitivity, can be part of a larger pattern of abuse or control.

The answer to this FAQ is that if you have done things that have been harmful to your partner or family, or you have had relationships that have ended due to your behavior, you could benefit from attending Emerge. It is not a prerequisite for someone to have been physically abusive in order to come to groups. In fact, approximately 40% of our clients report having never been physically abusive.

We describe this topic a bit more in our information for clients enrolling at Emerge, which can be viewed 
here. For more information on “best practices” for working with abusers in substance abuse treatment, click here

Does abuse education work?

This question is commonly asked but does not have a simple answer. Abuser education programs may work for those people who take the information presented and explored in groups and use it to stop harming others.

A comparable question might be “Does education and treatment for drinking and driving offenders really work?” The answer would be similar: someone who truly wants to stop drinking will work to do so. Someone who doesn’t take such services seriously is at greater risk to re-offend.

Ongoing studies continue to look for a definitive answer to this question. Researcher Edward Gondolf has conducted a study comparing different Abuser Education Program formats, the results of which can be viewed 
here.