Insight from Women on the Lived Experience of Their Partners’ Referrals to Men's Behavior Change Programs

Within the state of Victoria (Australia), male perpetrators of family violence are routinely referred to Men's Behaviour Change Programs (MBCP). This place based-based study included nine in-depth interviews with women from a regional city in Victoria, about their lived experiences of their partners' referral to an MBCP. The women's shared narratives were explored via Feminist Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. This analysis exposed the referral period as a time of pivotal assessment for the women - a time characterized by hope, blame, judgement, and indignation. This study emphasizes the need for community services to take into account the far-reaching implications an MBCP referral has for everyone it is intended to benefit.