Applying a Trauma-Focused lens with Men Using Family Violence

Challenging men’s narratives for meaningful and sustained behaviour change

There is no denying that we need to engage differently in our work with men if we want to break the cycle of men’s violence against women. 

The recently released Respect Victoria Man Box 2024 research highlighted that:

• • 1 in 5 men agreed that domestic violence is a family matter that should be handled by the family
  • 1 in 4 men held attitudes that minimise violence against women
  • 25% of participants in the research agreed with the statement that ‘sometimes a woman can make a man so angry that he hits her when he didn’t mean to’

This masterclass will support practitioners to challenge men’s narratives and create opportunities for men to understand their choices, triggers, and behaviour by utilising empathic, humanistic engagement techniques.

In this masterclass, Tony will share the psychotherapeutic technique of meeting these men ‘where they are at’ to support practitioners in challenging men’s narratives and engaging men in their responsibility to change.

Tony will guide participants through a trauma-capable and informed lens to enhance their practice when working with men, help them feel confident in their capacity to do so, and build their emotional regulation, metacognitive awareness, and personal responsibility.

Meet your facilitator

Tony Johannsen

Executive Manager, Clinical Practice and Quality

Family Life

Tony is the Executive Manager of Clinical Practice and Quality at Family Life. A psychotherapist, behaviour change facilitator, and clinical supervisor, Tony has ten years of experience delivering trauma-informed leadership and resilience training to corporate and non-profit organisations.

Spurred by his passion for innovation, Tony realised gaps, deficiencies, and opportunities for improvement within the mainstream approaches to working with men using FV. He then developed bespoke interventions aimed at working more effectively with men who use FV to help combat these shortfalls. Tony believes that the integration of psychotherapeutic philosophies and interventions is an essential component of working more effectively with men who use family violence.