Domestic violence, unfortunately, is a widespread problem in modern-day America. There are many counseling programs aimed at helping the victims of abusive behavior from their partners. For this evaluation, I have chosen to examine a program provided by the Village Counselling Center in Florida, entitled «Intimate Partner/Domestic Violence Program». I believe that an intimate relationship is a complex matter that requires exceptional thoroughness and a professional approach.
The evaluation will be based upon the mission of the program and the objectives it states for the participants. According to the Village Counselling Center (n.d.), their specialists define this program’s primary goal as helping participants understand the dynamics of their relationships and establish healthy perspectives, eliminating future aggression and violence. The counselors arrange treatment for both sides of the conflict: the victims and offenders, and special training is organized for parent groups regarding the effects of domestic violence on children (Village Counselling Center n.d.).
The center promises to plan a comprehensive relationship-based personalized treatment and address multiple aspects of the problem. As can be seen, there is a lot to be examined for this particular program during the evaluation.
Judging from the general knowledge about the social environment today, this kind of counseling program is in high demand, so there are well-established strategies for treating domestic violence. However, the Village Counselling Center technique implies the involvement of both sides of the conflict, which might have issues. I have chosen the objective-oriented evaluation model to determine whether this task has been achieved.
I suggest conducting observations from participants on the very first stage of the program – meeting arrangements with victims and offenders. With this data, I would be able to determine how successfully the program engages with both stakeholders. Additionally, I would consider observing the progress made by the participants and collect responses about their experience after completing the program. Those two methods are supposed to provide a thorough perspective on whether the objective of two-sided treatment is fulfilled.
To summarize, the evaluation of the «Intimate Partner/Domestic Violence Program» from the Village Counselling Center will be focused on its objective to address both sides of the relationship. Since it seems challenging to involve both victims and offenders in counseling services, I will collect data on successful enrollment. Also, the evaluation would include a survey for participants to measure their progress after completing the program.
Reference
Village Counselling Center (n.d.) Intimate Partner/Domestic Violence Program. Village Counselling Center. Web.