Stories of change in a Québec group for men who have perpetrated violence against a partner

In the literature, there are many studies on the effectiveness of intimate partner violence group programs. However, practice descriptions and analyses of the group experience of men in this kind of program are rare. However, such knowledge could help to adapt programs to the realities of the men and to better understand their experiences as service users. This paper aims to fill this gap by describing the group experience and the stories of change of seven men belonging to an intimate partner violence group in Quebec city. From a discussion group with the men, we highlight key moments that influenced the success of their group experience as well as the dynamics of the group, and the role of group leaders. We also describe the changes they experienced and what is successful from their points of view. We conclude with twelve pointers to successful groupwork, derived specifically from this group and, we hope, holding meaning for groups in general.