On The Line provides relationship counselling support to men.

In the conversation around domestic and family violence, support services for abusers are sometimes ignored. Not so at ‘On the Line’, an organisation that offers 21 different services to people in need, including but not limited to, domestic violence subjects and perpetrators (both women and men) who are experiencing or using violence against a partner or family member, ex defence-force members, and people contemplating suicide. On the Line has been going for about sixty years. Its counsellors are all trained professionals, not volunteers.

In the domestic violence space, the MensLine service and Changing for Good program are probably the most well-known. Run Against Violence spoke to Samantha Fredericks, On the Line’s Head of Business Strategy & Innovation.

MensLine

“MensLine is available to men who are abusers, male victims of domestic violence, and people who want to talk about their relationships and mental health issues, like depression, loneliness and suicidal tendencies,” says Samantha. “They also call about parenting issues and ways to become the best parents they can. In a family violence situation or a relationship breakdown, a lot of men are very concerned about having access to the children. MensLine really resonates with men because the digital nature of the service allows them to manage their own privacy and confidentiality and, because it’s a 24/7 service, they can get in touch at a time that suits them.”

To find out more, head over to mensline.org.au or call 1300 78 99 78.

Changing for Good

Changing for Good is a 12-month, behavioural-change program that offers ongoing support to men to stop using violence. It’s a one-on-one telephone program, rather than a group therapy approach. Each man has one male and one female counsellor.

“We also work with their partners to monitor their progress and pinpoint triggers,” says Samantha. “Originally, people had to be enrolled in a related government program to be eligible to join Changing for Good but, happily, the program is now available to all men who want to change.”

For more information, visit mensline.org.au/changingforgood or call 1300 015 120.