‘We get you’: women's perceptions of the impacts of dyadic groupwork for women and children after intimate partner violence

The potential for experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) to have both short and long-term detrimental impacts on children's developmental well-being and the relationship between mothers and children is well recognized. Building Resilience in Children (BRIC) is a group work programme based on attachment and strengthening mother–child relationships to reduce impacts of IPV. The findings reported here derive from a larger study evaluating reported changes to children's behaviour and women's parenting from participating in the BRIC programme. This paper, using a qualitative descriptive approach, informed by standpoint feminism, focuses on understanding women's engagement with and experiences of the programme and reports interviews with 15 women participants (10 completers, five non-completers). Programme completers reported feeling safe, heard and accepted in the groups. They appreciated connecting with other women with similar experiences in groups, as it lessened their sense of isolation. While attending the programme was a big commitment, these mothers were willing and able to adjust their lives to participate. Interviews with women who did not complete the programme revealed that the primary reason given was multiple competing priorities. Beyond this, women described reactivation of trauma and their preference for one-to-one work as impacting their engagement.