Call the Common Purpose main office at 617-522-6500 for an appointment.
Registration is held at the Common Purpose Jamaica Plain site. Groups are offered in Cambridge,Jamaica Plain and Quincy. Groups are offered in the daytime and in the evening. We have groups for English and Haitian Creole speaking clients.
All clients go through an eight week assessment and orientation intake group. During this time, Common Purpose will determine whether the client is suitable for the program. Causes for discharge are generally: extreme dangerousness or potential for lethality, serious substance abuse, a total denial of violent behavior, or major mental illness which would prevent group participation. If a man has a problem in any of these areas, he might not be accepted into our program.
What Does The Program Cost?
Our sliding scale fee is based on ability to pay, and begins at $10.00 per group session. Community service, in lieu of payment, is available for indigent men. Hardship situations are considered on a case by case basis. We do not deny services due to inability to pay, however, community service slots are limited.
What Is The Group Format?
Men first enter the program by attending a registration class where they are introduced to the conditions and goals of the program. They are assigned to a permanent site where they will attend an orientation and intake group. Clients stay in the intake group for six to eight weeks.
After the intake period, men are placed in “ongoing” groups. A structured curriculum examines the use of violence, power, and control, through lectures, discussion, videotapes, written exercises, self-examination and role plays. Weekly “check-ins” monitor for continued use of violence, abusive behavior and substance abuse. The entire program is a minimum of forty-one weeks (including registration).
