Everyman Project Join UK SAYS NO MORE and say NO MORE to Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.
EVERYMAN PROJECT is a voluntary, charitable organisation based in London which offers a range of support services for men who want to stop behaving violently or abusively, and for the people affected by their violence or abuse. These include a focused brief counselling programme, a partner support programme, providing information and advice on the telephone. Everyman Project relies on volunteers to support the organisation and provide the one-to-one counselling. All volunteers engaging with telephone and face-to-face clients receive clinical supervision on a regular basis.
The Everyman Project was formed as a result of the closure of the Everyman Center, A Volunteer Organisation which was formed in 1989 offering support to Perpetrators of domestic violence. After the center closed in 1996 due to lack of funding, some of the then volunteers decided to continue the work by forming what is now the Everyman Project. Everyman are a Charitable organisation whose mission is to help society by reducing angry, abusive and violent behaviours.
Men’s Counselling Programme
The men’s counselling programme is a seven month therapeutic programme designed to support men ceasing their violent or abusive behaviours. Everyman Project works with all forms of male violence and abusiveness (except for sexual abuse toward children). The vast majority of men we see come as a result of being violent to their partners.
Everyman Project’s counselling programme for men is modelled on the two track model of working with the perpetrators of domestic violence, and offers a client orientated approach on managing anger through cognitive behavioural methods such as time outs and through psycho-educational techniques.
It encourages clients to take responsibility for their actions and to change their selfish, sexist attitudes and controlling behaviours towards their partners. The other programmes available in the UK, referred to as psycho-educational perpetrator programmes, contain a risk that a client will leave therapy without personal and individuality issues being addressed.
Following an assessment, each man attends thirteen weekly one-to-one sessions with a male counsellor, followed by sixteen weekly group counselling sessions. The programme incorporates cognitive and educational approaches to challenge and change abusive and violent attitudes and behaviour. Additionally it addresses the emotional damage which underlies abusiveness to others.
From the outset and throughout the work, the safety of the man’s partner or other victims of his violence is a primary priority. All therapeutic work takes place against the background of acknowledging responsibility, developing the man’s feeling capacity, extending his emotional awareness, and enabling him to develop greater empathy for others.
The programme helps the men to make long term sustainable changes to their behaviours that help to maintain their relationship without violence.
Partner Support Service
PARTNER SUPPORT SERVICE Whilst the men are receiving counselling Everyman Project offers their (ex) partners a proactive, free and confidential advice through its partner support service. The partner support service offers advice, counselling, safety planning guidance, emotional and practical support via e-mail/post/telephone or in person. The service is tailored to meet each partner’s individual needs and circumstances, and to ensure that the partner can receive the support, advice or counselling safely. The aim of the service is to empower partners to keep themselves and their children safe, and to make informed choices and decisions about their lives.
Testimonials
“Wow what a learning curve this has been. Since starting the Everyman Project my life has changed for the better- having completed 13 weeks counselling with Joshua and then 16 weeks in the groups, it has changed my life for ever – no going back to my old ways.”
“When I first came for my assessment on the 10th of February, I was desperately trying to save a relationship.Since starting my one-to-one sessions, and during my time attending this group, I have come to realise that the relationship I needed to save was the one that I have with myself. I now realise that I was very unhappy in my relationship with my ex-partner. However, I lacked the confidence and the skills to communicate this to her. I became more isolated, more vulnerable and more needy as I tried to deal with the situation.”
Interested in becoming a partner of UK SAYS NO MORE?
We’d love to hear from you, please get in touch with Lyndsey Dearlove, Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Partnership Manager.
You can contact Lyndsey by email at Lyndsey.Dearlove@hestia.org or by phone at 020 7378 3170.