The Canton-based Voyager Program counsels and treats men convicted of domestic violence and also uses a dog as a unique component of its support groups. Ed Balint CantonRep.com staff writer @ebalintREP CANTON About 10 men sat in chairs forming a circle in the room, chatting about their daily lives. Riding motorcycles.

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Paying bills. The cost of Newport cigarettes. The conversation preceded a more serious subject and the common history linking the men: Domestic violence.

Each was participating in the court-ordered Voyager Program, a treatment and support group for those convicted of either misdemeanor or felony domestic violence or related crimes. At the back of the room was a dry-erase board scribbled with a list of behaviors or mindsets associated with those who have battered a wife, girlfriend or relative, including: 'This is a 'me' problem -- not a 'we' problem.' 'My good reasons for my bad behavior.'

'Ways to intimidate without physical violence.' 'Recalling past incidents and blaming her.'

'Talking down to her.' 'Refuse to compromise. Proxima Nova Light Italic Font Free Download. ' Also on the board was a six-word piece of encouragement: 'Change your thinking. Samsung Galaxy S Sch I500 Usb Driver.

Change your life.' Sondra Fronimo, executive director of Voyager, a batterer intervention program designed to help perpetrators stop violence in intimate partner relationships, led the session on a recent weekday evening. Luna, a loveable and curious dog, padded over the carpet, basking in the attention lavished on her by group members. Pointing to words on the board, Fronimo spoke in a firm and blunt voice.

Listening intently were men dressed casually in T-shirts, jeans, hoodies and ball caps. Each participant had a different situation that brought them to the group. One man was charged in an incident involving his father. Another class member said he was charged with domestic violence after he had tried to take his daughter out of his wife's hands at a bus station. Fronimo led the group, with assistance from Chris Hewitt, a licensed drug and alcohol counselor and co-facilitator of the program. Directing her comments toward a class member, she said, 'You used to do that, you used to recall past instances blaming her when you first came here. And you also reported her behavior selectively.'

Moving on, she offered another assessment: 'All of you are probably guilty of 'that look' (and) that 'tone of voice,' she said. 'A good thing to do the next time you guys get really (upset) is to look in the mirror,' she recommended. 'You may be shocked at your expression.' 'When she says, 'You've got that look on your face,' don't get defensive,' said Fronimo, a licensed counselor. 'Smooth out that face.' A warning also was issued as the discussion continued: Don't punish your spouse or girlfriend with the silent treatment. 'She doesn't know what you're thinking so that scares them,' Fronimo said.

'They all know what you're capable of.' 'Pockets of innovation' Those wide-ranging and intensive discussion groups are among the reasons Voyager has been recognized by a national organization in the field of batterer intervention. Representatives of Futures Without Violence visited the program. The organization, with offices in Boston and San Francisco, specializes in programs, policies and campaigns assisting individuals and groups working to end violence against women and children, both inside and outside the U.S. Casey Corcoran, program director for Futures Without Violence, said the Canton-based program was reviewed among 10 in the country for utilizing innovative and/or evidence-based programming. The best practices of Voyager and the other programs will be shared with similar groups in the country, he said.