A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE HELP FOR ABUSED SPOUSES REVEALED THAT MOST WIVES DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE THEIR HUSBANDS OR DISSOLVE THEIR MARRIAGES, DUE TO OTHERWISE POSITIVE PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR HUSBANDS OR THE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS POSED BY BREAKING FROM DEPENDENCE ON THEIR HUSBANDS. AS A RESULT OF THIS CIRCUMSTANCE, PLANS WERE DEVISED FOR A PROGRAM AIMED AT EFFECTING CHANGE IN THE VIOLENT BEHAVIOR OF HUSBANDS WHOSE WIVES HAD SOUGHT HELP IN THE PROGRAM. SHORT-TERM (10 SESSIONS) GROUP THERAPY WAS SELECTED AS THE MOST VIABLE APPROACH TO TREATMENT. THE TARGETED HUSBANDS WERE ASKED BY THEIR WIVES TO CALL THE WORKER IN CHARGE OF THE PROGRAM. OF THOSE WHO MADE THE CALL, FIVE CONSENTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GROUP SESSIONS, AND TWO APPEARED AT THE FIRST SESSION. AFTER THE FIFTH SESSION, A CORE MEMBERSHIP OF FIVE HAD DEVELOPED. THE GROUP WORKER WAS A MALE, WHO INTENDED FROM THE OUTSET OF THE GROUP MEETINGS TO ADOPT A NONJUDGMENTAL STANCE TOWARD ANY EXPRESSIONS OF GROUP MEMBERS IN THE INTEREST OF FOSTERING GROUP COHESIVENESS AND AN ATMOSPHERE OF SAFETY CONDUCIVE TO SHARING. INITIALLY, AND THROUGH THE MAJORITY OF THE SESSION, THE MEN SOUGHT TO AVOID ACCEPTING ANY SORT OF BLAME FOR THEIR VIOLENT BEHAVIOR IN RELATION TO THEIR WIVES, APPARENTLY TO AVOID THE EMOTIONAL DEVASTATION OF BEING PERCEIVED IN THE ROLE OF BEING MORALLY INFERIOR. AS THE MEMBERS WERE PERMITTED TO EXERCISE THESE DEFENSES WITHOUT BEING CHALLENGED, THE ACCEPTING ATMOSPHERE OF THE GROUP STIMULATED A WILLINGNESS TO EXAMINE ALTERNATIVE WAYS FOR DEALING WITH FRUSTRATION AND STRESS, OTHER THAN VIOLENCE. THE MEMBERS THEMSELVES FELT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INSIGHT DEVELOPED, AND ATTEMPTS TO DEVELOP ALTERNATIVE PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR APPEALED TO THEIR DESIRE TO CONTROL THEIR BEHAVIOR ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN DESIGNS. FOUR OF THE FIVE MEMBERS OF THE GROUP CONSENTED TO CONTINUE WITH COUPLES SESSIONS AT THE END OF THE TEN MALE GROUP SESSIONS. LONG-TERM OUTCOME DATA FOR MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE TREATMENT ARE NOT YET AVAILABLE. (RCB)