Why the Certifying of Batterers Intervention Programs is Imperative

Why the Certifying of Batterers Intervention Programs is Imperative

by Dr. Eric L. Davis

One of the many services we offer at Life Recovery Center is our Batterers Intervention Program (BIP). This means we treat individuals who are abusive to others. Though the batterer is the individual sitting in our group session, we are very clear in the philosophy that our client is the victim that this individual has abused. Our goal is always to ensure victim safety at all times. Our program goes by the name the FIRST Program, which is an acronym for Fundamental Integrity Relational Skills Training. Our program is based on the philosophy that abuse is a choice and that individuals have the ability to act with integrity based on the Golden Rule. We make it a point to always point out that the Golden rule states, "Treat others like I want to be treated PERIOD." When individuals abuse, they try to blame shift and make excuses, and we are adamant that the Golden Rule does NOT state, "Treat others like I want to be treated--unless they're getting on my nerves," or "--unless I'm in a bad mood," or "unless they're being mean to me," etc. The Golden Rule implies that I should treat others like I want to be treated in every instance, at all times, no matter what. For the sake of time, you can read more about the details of our program and philosophy here.

What I want to briefly discuss in this article is what BIP certification is, what obtaining it entails, and why I feel it is absolutely crucial to ensuring the integrity of a program. It is something about which I feel very strongly and do so because individuals' lives are truly at stake. Our program's mission is stop all forms of abuse; whether it be physical, mental, emotional, etc. We are trying to educate individuals and shift an entire paradigm. Maintaining a certified program only helps to make our mission more attainable, and that is of the utmost importance to myself and my colleagues at Life Recovery Center.

In 2011, a bill (IC 35-50-9) was passed in Indiana which made the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV) the sole certifying body for BIPs. The bill specified that courts can order an individual to attend a BIP, and that the BIP must be certified by ICADV. Life Recovery Center had already been a provider member of ICADV for a few years at the time the bill was passed, so we immediately began the process to become a certified BIP -- which let me tell you is no easy task at all.

Simply put, certification sets a minimum standard to which all BIPs should adhere. Certified programs must agree to adhere to the ICADV code of ethics, and the program's policies and procedures must reflect that the program is operating in a way that does so. Quite simply, ICADV certification helps to ensure that programs are operating with the victim's safety at the forefront of their program, that staff are properly trained and monitored,  and that a state-approved, empirically-based curriculum is being taught.

The certifying process requires certification candidates to first  complete a phase known as the "client experience" -- during which the individual completes 26 weeks of BIP as a client. This is followed by co-facilitating  26 BIP sessions, and then facilitating another 26 sessions alone. The individual can then be certified as a Supervisor. For certification, every program must have at least one individual certified at the Supervisor level.

Another important aspect of certification is Monitoring. Every single certified BIP facilitator/supervisor must be monitored by a Victim Advocate once every quarter (4x/year). The advocate shows up unannounced at random and sits in on the group to ensure that ICADV's standards (which ensure victim safety) are being followed and that the program is using an approved empirically-based curriculum. The advocate fills out a monitoring report for each visit which must be submitted to ICADV each year as part of maintaining certification.

I will be the first to say that while becoming a certified program was no easy task, it was overwhelmingly worth it. We have a BIP of which I'm extremely proud, and the entire process of getting and maintaining the certification has done nothing but help our program to work toward accomplishing it's goals. It ensures that our staff are competent, professional, and doing the best job we possibly can at all times. For that I'm grateful. I like having the oversight and the accountability. ICADV helps us to make certain that we are doing the best job and providing the best service we can at all times. It is for this reason that, quite frankly, the programs out there that are resistant to obtaining the certification should rethink their stance on the matter. We pursued the certification because we wanted to do everything we could to provide the very best program possible. It is for this reason that I feel certification of BIPs is so crucial -- because it helps to enforce that an acceptable standard is being maintained. As I said before: we are talking about ensuring safety and preventing violence -- a matter of life and death in some instances -- for the individuals in our community. The citizens of our state (and all states, for that matter) deserve the best possible education and intervention we can offer -- and that is what certification is helping to ensure they get.

In summary, CERTIFICATION HOLDS AGENCIES ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE INTEGRITY OF THEIR BATTERERS INTERVENTION PROGRAMS! And that is why certification is so crucial. My hope is that all the agencies in our state will work together to raise the overall quality of our BIPs to help ensure that the citizens of our community are receiving the very best services they can get. The better the quality of our programs, the better our chances of preventing domestic violence, saving lives, and shifting the culture of violence into a new paradigm of love and equality.

For more information about the FIRST Batterers Intervention Program at Life Recovery Center, contact our Director of Domestic Violence Programming,

Tom Prendergast, LCAC.

For more information on ICADV, certification, and how you can join the fight against domestic violence in our community, visit www.ICADVinc.org 

New and improved LRC website!

I am proud to announce that we have a brand new website now posted! There are new resources available as well as several new features, including videos, music, and more!

Stop by the site at www.LifeRecoveryCenter.net and check it out! We'd love to hear feedback from you.

Dr. Eric Davis
Co-Executive Director
E-mail

In loving memory of Craig Andler

Craig Andler

In Loving Memory of Craig Andler

6/27/13: We at Life Recovery Center are disheartened to learn of the passing of our dear friend Craig Andler. We would like to express our sincere condolences to the Andler family. Craig has been a friend of ours in the addiction field for many years and most recently served as the Executive Director for the Indiana Counselors Association on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. We will miss you, Craig!

Timmy Grins

Timmy Grins speaks on alcoholism.

Letting Go of Resentments

Letting Go of Resentments

by Dr. Eric L. Davis

"Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned." - Siddhartha Gautama, founder of Buddhism.

There is a saying in Alcoholics Anonymous that tells us to "Let Go and Let God." This means that we have to free ourselves of resentments in order to remain healthy and grow spiritually. As written in the bible, "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many" (Hebrews 12:15). Resentments are like roots that give rise to all sorts of negative symptoms in our lives. It is imperative that we let go of them.

An exercise that I use in addiction treatment groups provides a way to practice turning things over to a Higher Power. The exercise is strictly symbolic, but I have found it to be very useful:

           

I start out with a discussion about what resentments are and why they are dangerous to our well-being. I ask the clients to take out a piece of paper and tear it in half. On one half, I have them write the biggest resentment in their life that they can think of. (I always make sure that they know no one will know what it is unless they want them to.) I then have them fold that piece of paper up and place it in their pocket.

            

I then have them tear the second piece in half, so they have two smaller pieces. On those two pieces I have them write smaller resentments that they have-resentments they are comfortable sharing aloud in the group with their peers.

            

I then take out a trashcan and set it in the middle of the group. I explain the exercise to them:

The way it works is each person will have an opportunity to stand up by the trashcan and read the two smaller resentments aloud to their peers. As they finish reading each one, they throw the piece of paper in the trashcan-which symbolizes their letting go of that resentment and turning it over to their Higher Power. (Let me mention here that the trashcan does not symbolize their Higher Power, but serves as a way of disposal of the paper.)

            

Once the two smaller resentments are read aloud and thrown away, the client now has the option of getting the large resentment out of their pocket and doing the same with it-but they do not have to. If they choose not to, the symbolism is that they have to carry that resentment with them. I also take this a step further by noting that they have turned over the resentments that are now in the trashcan, and if they want to carry those resentments with them (and take them back from their Higher power), they will have to dig them back out of the trash.

            

When the exercise is finished, we discuss what everyone is feeling inside. This promotes discussion of what resentments feel like physically, emotionally and mentally. We also discuss how each person felt when they released the resentments into the trashcan.

            

I then point out that, in essence, each person had just worked a "mini-fourth and fifth step" from the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. They identified something that bothers them and freed themselves from it by acknowledging it, putting it out in the open, and then releasing it.

            

We also discuss the process and the future implications. If they can share such deep things with a group of their peers, they can surely share more things with God, themselves, and another human being as prescribed in the fifth step. I also note that no one made fun of what they shared and that what they shared was likely similar to what others in the group shared. Someone always points out that they always felt like they were the only one who had done such things or resented such things in their life-but that others in the group had done or been through similar things - or worse. It helps to reinforce that we are not alone and that if God and others can still love and forgive us despite our faults, then why can't we forgive and love ourselves.

            

Throughout the years, I've had many clients report that they felt a sense of relief after completing the exercise. One particular client reported that she felt a "tingling sensation" and a sense of relief when sharing her resentments with the group. Many clients report feeling uncomfortable during the exercise, but of these, most report feeling a greater sense of emotional freedom a day or so afterward. The result truly appears to correlate with the level of rigorous honesty with which the exercise is done. Those who are brave enough to release the deepest, darkest resentments seem to have the most profound results. I believe this to be as a quote I heard on the television show Doogie Howser, M.D. years ago: The truth is like surgery...it hurts, but it heals.

In the Bible it states, "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more" (Isaiah 43:25). This speaks to forgiving being even more so for ourselves than for the person we are forgiving. By letting go and making restitution, we are able to release ourselves from the bondage of our past and move on with our lives. We are also able to mend relationships by the power of letting go and forgiving-relationships with God, others, and ourselves.

            

The trashcan exercise is a way that we can practice the principle of letting things go and trusting in God. Always remember: We are only as sick as our deepest secret.

Dr. Eric L. Davis is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor, State-Certified Batterers Intervention Program Supervisor, and Board Certified Professional Christian Counselor who serves as Co-Executive Director and Director of Clinical Services for Life Recovery Center in Indianapolis, IN. He also teaches as an adjunct professor for the Indiana University School of Social Work at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). www.LifeRecoveryCenter.net. You can reach him for comments, questions or feedback at eric@liferecoverycenter.info 

Interested in more info on Life Recovery Center?

I wanted to share some good resources to learn more about and keep up with the latest happenings at Life Recovery Center:

Website: www.liferecoverycenter.info

Information Packet

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Honoring an amazing leader today

Medication in Recovery

Life Recovery Center's Dr. Eric Davis speaks about the dilemma of medication in recovery and what we can do to keep ourselves safe.

In Loving Memory of Portia Warren

Our hearts are saddened to learn of the death of our dear friend and colleague, Ms. Portia Warren. Anyone involved with the Indiana Counselors Association on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (ICAADA) undoubtedly knew Portia and what a dedicated addiction counselor and advocate of recovery she always was. Our hearts go out to her loved ones but our gratitude speaks for having had an opportunity to have known her. We will miss your passion and your beautiful smile, Portia!

Prayer for a Therapist

Prayer for a Therapist

by Dr. Eric L. Davis

LORD,

I ask that You watch over my clients, staff and community. Let me always be reminded that it is for You that I am truly working, and I humbly ask that You make Your will evident to me and provide me with the power to carry it out. It is through Your grace that I am able to provide me services to the community, and I thank You with all of my heart. In my times of trouble and conflict, please help me to remember my true purpose for doing this work. Let every move I make be a step toward helping others improve their lives in Your name.

Amen.

Answered Prayers

Answered Prayers

By Dr. Eric L. Davis

Prayer is defined by the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2009) as “an address (as a petition) to God or a god in word or thought” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prayer). In some progressive Christian faiths, it is taught that prayer gains its power through our co-creation with the Divine. Meditation and prayer are cornerstones of most Christian faiths.

I wanted to share a story about my own journey and the single prayer that saved my life. I am a drug addict and alcoholic in recovery, with over fourteen years clean and sober at the time of printing this article. My use began as an adolescent and followed me into young-adulthood. I found myself in undergraduate school, lost and throwing away everything good in my life; my relationships, my schooling, my self-esteem. I can remember looking in the mirror when I came back to my dorm room high and drunk and feeling so ashamed. I hated myself. I knew I didn’t want to live in this way, but no matter what I did or how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop drinking.

I had tried everything I could think of to stop my using. I tried to quit hanging out with my using friends—but would return to them after only two or three days (because I was lonely and wanted to use.) I tried not buying any drugs or booze—but would wind up hanging out with whoever had it at the time. I told myself, “I’ll only use on weekends”—without fail, the weekend would eventually begin on Thursday and end on Wednesday. I even tried to bargain with God by making deals and such—NOTHING worked.

It was a few days before Christmas break. There was a small chapel on campus that I had never stepped foot in. I went into the chapel and got on my knees. I asked God to help me to overcome my addiction, and said I didn’t care how it had to happen. I pleaded and trusted God to do with me as He chose. I promised that I would follow His lead and do whatever needed to be done.

This was the first time in my life when I feel that I TRULY prayed. I prayed with every cell of my being. I asked God for help and I meant it. I had tried everything I could think of and had been defeated by my addiction every time. I knew for the first time in my life that the answers had to come from somewhere other than me. I was open-minded and willing to do whatever it took.

During Christmas break, a friend of mine and I picked up a bag of pot and went “window farming.” In small towns, such as where I grew up, there are lots of back roads and corn fields, so we would get some drugs and beer and ride around out in the country getting stoned. It just so happened that on this particular night, there were two cars on the back roads—mine and a police officer. We were pulled over, charged with possession, and thrown in jail. I remember being handcuffed and my car being towed away. I felt like a piece of garbage, but in the strangest way, I was relieved. I knew that I would be in trouble, and that I would be pushed to get the help I so desperately needed.

I was taken to jail and phoned my parents. They bailed me out using money that my little brother had received for Christmas. I remember my Mom asking me in the car, “Do you think you need help?” I answered that I did and that I wanted to seek treatment for my addiction. My parents were very disappointed in me, but were supportive and loving as always.

They went to the prosecutor’s office one day during the holidays with the hope that (by some act of God) he may be there. Amazingly, he was. My parents advocated for me, letting him know that I truly wanted help and that I was willing to do whatever I could to make things right. He agreed to dismiss my charges given that I stayed out of trouble and completed treatment.

In treatment I learned a lot. On the day of my graduation, I promised my peers in group that I was going to finish my degree and go into the field of addiction. In an odd twist of fate, I obtained a job as a Therapist at that same facility about six years later.

I would not be the person I am today without my prayer being answered. Although the answer to my prayer was packaged in an arrest and a long battle against the disease of addiction, I’m very grateful that things happened the way they did. I have such an appreciation for the blessings in my life. I have a wonderful family and amazing friends today. I have been blessed with a career that allows me to help others battle the same disease I have struggled with for most of my life. I am able to live a life that is happy, joyous, and free; free from the grips of my terrible illness.

Sometimes the answers to our prayers are packaged in ways that don’t seem very appetizing—I know mine certainly didn’t look very pretty at first glance. We may not even see the blessings that await us within these tragedies until much later down the road. I find peace in knowing that God loves me and will provide exactly what I need at the time. It is simply up to me to allow it to happen.

When I look back at my first “real” prayer from 1997, I am reminded that all I had to do was believe. That is where the power comes from. We believe and let it be so, and so it is. I can now see the many prayers in my life that have been answered. I strive to maintain a conscious contact with God each and every day of my life. I think of the poem Footprints by Mary Stevenson—it was in the most troubling time in my life that the Lord carried me. 

Eric L. Davis, Ph.D., LCSW, LCAC, BCPCC is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor, State-Certified Batterers Intervention Program Supervisor, and Board Certified Professional Christian Counselor who serves as Co-Executive Director and Director of Clinical Services for Life Recovery Center in Indianapolis, IN. He also teaches as an adjunct professor for the Indiana University School of Social Work at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). www.LifeRecoveryCenter.net