Practice Profile: Interventions for Persons Who Committed Intimate-Partner Violence: Duluth Model

This practice employs a feminist psychoeducational approach with group-facilitated exercises to change abusive and threatening behavior in males who engage in domestic violence. The practice is rated Effective for reducing recidivism with respect to violent offenses and Promising in reducing victimization. The results found fewer partner reports of violence in the intervention group relative to the comparison groups.

Practice Goals/Practice Theory

There are a number of interventions that are common in the treatment of those convicted of domestic violence. One prominent clinical intervention employs a feminist psychoeducational approach and is widely known as the Duluth Model. Originating in 1981 from the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in Duluth, Minnesota, this intervention proposes that the principal cause of domestic violence is a social and cultural, patriarchal ideology that historically has allowed men to control women through power and violence. Violence perpetrated on women and children originates from their relative positions of weakness and vulnerability socially, politically, economically, and culturally. As such, the model does not assume that domestic violence is caused by mental or behavioral health problems, substance use, anger, stress, or dysfunctional relationships. The program concentrates on providing group-facilitated exercises that challenge a male’s perception of entitlement to control and dominate his partner. The Duluth Model is considered less of a therapy and more of a psychoeducational program. This treatment technique focuses on providing an improved and broadened understanding of the causes and effects of the underlying problems experienced by the individual.

Practice Components

The Duluth Model makes use of the “Power and Control Wheel” as a tool to understand patterns of abusive behavior, including acts and threats of physical and sexual violence. The wheel includes the following eight items: 1) intimidation; 2) emotional abuse; 3) isolation; 4) economic abuse; 5) male privilege; 6) coercion and threats; 7) using children; and 8) minimizing, denying, and blaming. The wheel is designed to enable abusive persons to recognize the patterns of domestic violence rather than as isolated or cyclical acts. The goal of the intervention is to convince men to use nonviolent strategies outlined in the “Equality Wheel.” The eight items making up this wheel are 1) negotiation and fairness, 2) economic partnership, 3) shared responsibility, 4) responsible parenting, 5) honesty and accountability, 6) trust and support, 7) respect, and 8) non-threatening behavior. These items are considered to be the foundations of a strong and egalitarian relationship.

Target Populations

The Duluth Model focuses on men who commit the crime of domestic violence and female victims. Its theory is based on an understanding of male power, control, and dominance as culturally and historically pervasive and which allowed, if not encouraged, men to control women, sometimes using violence.

Additional Information

Another model of interventions targeted at those who commit the crime of domestic violence is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). There are a number of differences between interventions for those who commit the crime of domestic violence that use CBT and interventions that use the Duluth Model. One main difference between the two types of interventions is in the theories underlying each. With CBT, violence is viewed as a learned behavior, which can be addressed by changing patterns of thinking and promoting and reinforcing nonviolent alternatives. The Duluth Model proposes that the principal cause of domestic violence is a social and cultural, patriarchal ideology that has allowed men to control women through power and violence. The model does not assume that domestic violence is caused by other issues such as mental or behavioral health problems. The Duluth Model focuses on changing their dominant and controlling behaviors, to foster more egalitarian relationships. In addition, CBT is a therapeutic approach, whereas the Duluth Model is viewed as psychoeducational programming (Babcock et al. 2004; Arias, Arce, and Vilariño 2013). However, the distinct differences between the two models are often unclear (Babcock et al. 2004).

These sources were used in the development of the practice profile:

These sources were used in the development of the practice profile:

Miller, Marna, Elizabeth Drake, and Mia Nafziger. 2013. What Works to Reduce Recidivism by Domestic Violence Offenders? (Document No. 13-01-1201). Olympia, Wash.: Washington State Institute for Public Policy. (This meta-analysis was reviewed but did not meet CrimeSolutions criteria for inclusion in the overall outcome ratings).

Arias, Esther, Ramón Arce, and Manuel Vilariño. 2013. “Batterer Intervention Programmes: A Meta-Analytic Review of Effectiveness.” Psychosocial Intervention 22:153–60. (This meta-analysis was reviewed but did not meet CrimeSolutions criteria for inclusion in the overall outcome rating.)

Following are CrimeSolutions-rated programs that are related to this practice:

Explore, Question, Understand, Investigate and Practice, Plan, Succeed (EQUIPS) Domestic Abuse Program (New South Wales, Australia)

Why might a practice's outcome ratings differ from the ratings of specific programs encompassed by that practice?