Program Completion in Specialized Batterer Counseling for African-American Men

Abstract

Despite the many recommendations for specialized counseling for African-American men arrested for domestic violence, research has yet to document its effectiveness in improving program completion. This experimental clinical trial compared the program completion rates of culturally-focused counseling in all-African-American groups, conventional counseling in all-African-American groups, and conventional counseling in racially-mixed groups. The completion rate for the 16-week program was approximately 55% across the three counseling options. Completion rates were slightly lower in the specialized counseling groups following stricter enforcement of dismissal policies. For men with high racial identification, the completion rate rose to between 63% and 65% in the culturally-focused and conventional all-African-American groups versus only 40% in the racially-mixed groups. Programs might offer the option of culturally-focused counseling to African-American men to efficiently improve program completion. The influence of the program's strong link to the criminal justice system and weaker link to the community warrants further consideration.