Initial Lessons Learned: Video Conferencing Software to deliver Interventions for Men using Violence

In response to a rise in the interest in the use of video conferencing software (VCS) such as Go To Meeting, Skype, Zoom, Teams etc. as a mode of delivery for men’s non-violence groups, we decided it would be beneficial to share our findings from an exploratory study we have been performing with Pathways to Family Peace as of January 2019. We are grateful to Melissa Scaia for the opportunity to partner with her on this exciting project. We strongly agree with Melissa’s previous statement on the Aquila mailing list that while VCS may seem a ‘quick fix’ alternative to in-person groups given the usual and unprecedented COVID-19 circumstances, there are important considerations to take as to whether such use of a tool would be safe and suitable for your men’s groups. We have organised a list of six initial areas of learning that we have discovered as a result of our exploratory study that we share here somewhat earlier than expected (subject to much deeper analysis in coming weeks).