Groups to Empower Battered Women

Abstract

Battering is part of a pattern of coercive tactics, including verbal, psychological, and sexual abuse, that a man uses to intimidate, undermine, and force his female partner to comply with his wishes. The experience can be likened to brainwashing. Three sets of ideas seem important for feminist social workers to consider in working with such women: (1) a structural approach to practice; (2) empowerment through recasting perceptions, raising consciousness, and increasing access to opportunities and resources; and (3) using the small group as a supportive agency.