Family — Separation
Invitational Approaches
A narrative, invitational approach to working with people who have used violence, anger, or controlling behaviour — supporting genuine accountability and meaningful change.
Our Approach
Invitational Practice
Our invitational practice is sometimes known as men's behaviour change or anger management. However, these terms are limited by the value of their reduction on the focus on behaviour. Invitational practices invite a reflection on ethics.
"We believe that when a man ceases abusive behaviour and embraces more respectful ways of relating, it will be on the basis of consideration of his own ethics. Not by the imposition of our or another person's ethics or morals." — Alan Jenkins, 2009
This work takes place within a framework that holds the safety of victim-survivors as paramount. We work alongside specialist family violence services and maintain strong ethical accountability throughout.
Counselling
What We Cover
Counselling sessions at Adelaide Narrative Therapy Collective directly cover themes of separation, relationship conflict, parenting, children's wellbeing, as well as the effect of stress, past and current legal process, and improving the co-parenting relationship.
The methodologies of conversational inquiry and reflection follow an Invitational Narrative and Family Violence–informed framework, which focuses on:
- •Addressing understandings and motivations toward safety, responsibility, accountability, fairness and respect (five principles in restorative justice).
- •Understanding and articulating effects of actions and attitudes specifically on children through lines of inquiry as directed by the referring party or by Court Order.
- •Introducing therapy as ethical development needed to take responsibility and shape future action in co-parenting.
- •This commits the practitioner to non-adversarial and non-confrontational regard and respect toward the client, whilst at the same time does not collude with harmful behaviour.
Counselling within this service proceeds from a position of respectful engagement with the client as a person capable of ethical reflection and change, while maintaining a clear ethical boundary regarding conduct that may have caused harm.
Guiding Principles
Invitation, Not Confrontation
We do not shame or lecture. We invite people to reflect on their values, the impact of their behaviour, and who they want to be in relationship.
Narrative Identity
People are not reducible to their worst actions. Narrative approaches help separate identity from problem stories while taking full responsibility for harm caused.
Safety First
All our work is conducted with the safety and wellbeing of those harmed as the primary concern. We work in close connection with victim-survivor support services.
Genuine Accountability
Accountability means understanding the impact of one's actions and making meaningful, sustained change — not merely completing a program.
Eligibility
Who Is This For?
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People who have used anger, violence, or controlling behaviour in intimate or family relationships
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People court-referred to behaviour change programs
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People seeking to make voluntary change and improve their relationships
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People navigating separation who want to engage with their families in healthier ways
Our Commitment
Reflective, Evidence-Informed Practice
We hold a deep commitment to rigorous, critical, and reflective practice. Clients and those who refer to us can be assured that our practitioners are serious, accountable, and professionally grounded — not only in therapeutic skill but in ongoing engagement with social science research.
In complex legal and family matters, our work draws on both qualitative and quantitative research evidence. This includes cases that are subject to cross-examination, where our observations and reports must be defensible, precise, and ethically sound. We do not approach this work through the lens of competing therapeutic modalities, which we find an unhelpful and reductive frame.
Instead, we engage with the broader body of social science research that illuminates the phenomena at the heart of our work: how families form and fracture, how violence and coercive control operate, how cohesion and disunity unfold across relationships, generations, and societies. We investigate and mark how the carefully chosen ethical values of respect, safety, fairness, accountability, and responsibility are lived and understood across diverse communities.
"I can be changed by what happens to me.
But I refuse to be reduced by it."
Reference
Jenkins, A. (2009). Becoming ethical: A parallel, political journey with men who abuse. Russell House Publishing.
Ready to take a step?
Reaching out takes courage. Contact us confidentially to discuss whether this program is right for you.
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