MOVe
PRESS RELEASE: May 23, 2002

One out of three families experience some type of violence in the home. The problem usually worsens unless you chose to seek help. Violence has many faces within an intimate relationship.

• Physical Violence: This includes hitting slapping, grabbing, shoving, pushing, kicking, choking, scratching, punching or hitting with weapons.
  
  
• Sexual Violence: This includes forcing your partner to have sexual intercourse or other sexual activity by means of physical force, threats or by using a weapon.
  
  
• Destruction of Property and Pets: This includes throwing objects; dropping plants, dishes, etc.; breaking windows; kicking in a door; breaking a television set; breaking objects that are meaningful to the victim; abusing, neglecting or killing a pet.
  
  
• Psychological Violence: This can be expressed in several ways, but essentially it is a systemic attempt to control your partner’s thinking and behavior by making threats, by degrading them through name-calling , humiliation, demanding that they put you first, by extreme jealousy, by dictating their every move, and by phony accusations.
  
  

While violence can be the resort of either partner in a relationship, unfortunately, men have a long history of violence and are often the perpetrator of violence in the relationship. Northern Tier Counseling sponsors a MOVE group (Men Overcoming Violence) which offers the opportunity for men to stop the violent behaviors that are destructive to others and themselves.

MOVe attempts to teach men ways to find nonviolent alternatives to interpersonal problems. Groups are the cornerstone of our counseling services. We feel that the supportive environment of a group can provide the best atmosphere for growth and learning. MOVe works with men who are or have been verbally, physically, or emotionally abusive toward their partners. In our counseling groups men support each other in learning how to change their violent behavior. Professional group leaders help members understand their emotions and find more productive ways to express their needs and feelings. In MOVe we learn together how to live without violence.

Usually a man calls MOVe after his partner has left, threatened to leave, or obtained a Protection from Abuse Order from the court which bars him from entering the home. Some men are ordered by the court to attend the program. Many of our clients have told us that it was only after their partners have left or gotten a court order that they realized the seriousness of their violence. Don’t wait until it is too late. You can take charge of your life and make things better, if you really want to change. Call Northern Tier Counseling at 570-265-0100 for a referral and evaluation of whether MOVe is a potential solution for your problems.

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