Among the intervention models for domestic violence perpetrators, the two best known are the “Duluth Model” and “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy” (CBT).
Originating from the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project implemented in Duluth (Minnesota, USA) in 1981, this intervention model is based on the understanding that the main cause of domestic violence is the prevalence of a patriarchal social and cultural ideology that has historically allowed men to control women, either through the exercise of power or through direct violence. Based on this theoretical formulation, the Duluth Model advocates a feminist psycho-pedagogical approach that includes group exercises aimed at modifying the abusive and threatening behavior of men involved in cases of domestic violence.
On the other hand, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy interventions applied to perpetrators of domestic violence were developed by psychologists as a way to treat violent behavior. These interventions interpret violence as a behavior that is learned by individuals and, consequently, assume that nonviolence can also be learned by perpetrators involved in domestic violence cases. This model focuses on identifying the thought processes and beliefs that contribute to violence, and aims to promote transformations in the violent behavior of perpetrators. In therapy sessions (which may be 1:1 or in small groups), men who have perpetrated such physical abuse are encouraged to reflect on their conception of violence and to change their thinking, as well as to examine the circumstances surrounding their practice and interrupt violent attitudes and behaviors in domestic settings, especially against women.