New domestic violence program aimed at helping LGBTQ community | WBNS-10TV Columbus, Ohio | Columbus News, Weather & Sports
Published: 03/29/18 03:35 pm EDT
Updated: 03/29/18 06:31 pm EDT
A new program aims to stop the cycle of domestic violence in a specific community.
Franklin County's Municipal Court has created a program just for the LGBTQ community.
Judges James O’Grady and Eileen Paley have worked for nearly three years to develop a domestic violence program geared entirely toward LGBTQ offenders.
Myles Stickle is the Director of Behavioral Health for Equitas. He was tasked with coming up with this program that has never existed.
He said the dynamic of same-gender couples is much different than heterosexuals because the foundation of violence isn’t based on gender differences.
“We look at the power and control wheel and it has a lot to do with the differences between men and women,” said Stickle. “There’s other things that create power and control differences in our relationships.”
The program will start with an assessment, then the participant will join an eight-week psycho-educational group followed by 32 more weeks of group therapy geared specifically toward their problems.
“I don’t want to have to put people in jail, I know that putting someone in jail isn’t helping them with any underlying issues,” said Judge O’Grady. “That’s ultimately all I want is just people to get help and not have to come back and see me.”
The judges hope the need for this program will be recognized and modeled nationally. They also hope it paves the way for more culturally specific programs.
©2018 by 10TV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.