Counseling for Men Who Abuse Women

During weekly group therapy sessions at the Center for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, men who have been arrested for battery awkwardly discuss what they think led them to physically abuse women.

The center caters to the city’s growing immigrant Latino population and the counseling sessions sometimes focus on the cultural factors that can play a role in spousal abuse.

“Things are different here,” said Villevo Valle, a Mexican immigrant. “Women have their role in our countries. We are not punished as much for hitting women in Mexico. But our customs bring us problems here, and the punishment is strict.”

Valle, a large man wearing a red and white poncho, wrung his hands as he began to tell a group of 13 men why he hit his wife. The 40-year-old mechanic said he often became angry when he arrived home to find a sink of dirty dishes and piles of unwashed clothes while his wife watched soap operas.

Reyes Villanueva recalled his rage when he found his lover with another man. And Jose Vasquez recalled losing his temper because his wife insisted on talking and arguing about what he called trivial matters.

“I don’t like talking a lot,” said Vasquez, a tall, wiry man with large brown eyes. “It makes me angry.”

After a brief silence, counselor Virginia Baldioli told the group:

“You have to understand that the roles of men and women are changing. If you expect things to be like they were for your parents and your grandparents, you’re all going to get angry a lot.”

Although other agencies counsel men who have been arrested for battering women, the center’s comprehensive program is geared to the city’s growing population of Latino immigrants who do not speak English.

Sandra Baca, who directs the center with Baldioli, estimated that more than 95% of the 4,000 men who take part in the program annually are Latino.

Domestic violence calls to Los Angeles police increased from more than 19,000 in 1986 to about 39,000 in 1991. Men who have pleaded guilty to spousal assault are referred to the center by municipal court officials, who give them a choice of spending up to six months in jail or taking part in a six-month or one-year program at the center.

As a condition of their probation, participants are required to attend the weekly 1 1/2-hour sessions and cannot miss more than three meetings for the duration of the program, center officials said.

The men pay on a sliding scale for the group therapy sessions, which cover a broad range of issues.

They include discussions of jealousy, sex role stereotyping, the macho myth, anger management and the legal aspects of violence and its consequences.

While acknowledging that he and other men had initially come to the sessions reluctantly, Villanueva said friendly advice during therapy and support from counselors has helped him deal with feelings that had led him to abuse the woman with whom he lived.

“I was angry and hurt when I came here,” Villanueva said.

“But I’m learning to take responsibility for what I did.”