Gladstone Women’s Health runs a 16-week Men’s Behaviour Change Program (MBC), which runs at our Men’s Centre two hours a week each Wednesday.
MBC is run by trained facilitators and is based on the McMaster program, which is designed to initiate a change progress in men’s behaviour and support the exploration of challenging underlying beliefs and attitudes and making men more accountable for their violence towards family members, so as to improve safety of women and children.
This program is effective in enabling men to end their use of controlling and abusive behaviours and other problematic behaviour in their relationships, including:
- Physical abuse – hitting, punching, using weapons to frighten, threatening to do harm;
- Verbal abuse – harassing, threatening, saying things to frighten, calling insulting names;
- Sexual abuse – forcing someone to have sex when they don’t want to, or engage in behaviours they are not comfortable with;
- Social abuse -controlling who family members socialise and/or associate with;
- Financial abuse – controlling access to money;
- Emotional abuse – withdrawing support, ‘silent treatment’, expressing extreme jealousy;
- Stalking – spying on or following family members including through the use of social media; and
- Spiritual abuse – controlling the religious beliefs and/or cultural practices of family members.
Counselling
Gladstone Women's Health operates dedicated men's programs at a different location to its Central Lane women's health centre. Run by a dedicated men's counsellor, Gladstone Men's Health offers free counselling to eligible men as well as a programs aimed at helping men change the behaviours that impact on the safety and wellbeing of women and children. For information phone us on (07) 4979 1456 or 1800 749 222.