Beit Noam The paradigm shift in the approach to domestic violence is manifested by the revolutionary Beit Noam residential center in Israel for the treatment of men who batter. While the battering men undergo an intensive four-month residential treatment program at Beit Noam, their wives or partners and children remain in their home, and are not forced to seek shelter outside their communities. In 1997, the Beit Noam Association established the Beit Noam Residential Treatment Center, a hostel for battering men who are in criminal proceedings with the law due to domestic violence, and who were referred for treatment. Referrals to Beit Noam are mainly by probation officers and social services personnel. The Beit Noam hostel is designed to provide its residents with a therapeutic and educational structure. The hostel houses 13 residents at any given time, each one for a four- month period, engaged in a therapy process designed to transform their abusive behaviors to non-violent ones. Beit Noam residents are the “hard core” of violent behavior in Israel, representing age groups from 18 to 70. They reflect a cross-section of Israeli society, and cut across the educational and economic spectrum to include all religious and ethnic divides: Jews, Arabs, Orthodox, and non-observing. The Beit Noam therapeutic rationale is based on: Creating a structure that simulates a home atmosphere - The therapeutic work transmits experience in running and participating in equal household rights and obligations. The household is run cooperatively by the residents, requiring them to share tasks, co-exist with the other residents, and exert mutual effort to resolve conflicts in a non-violent way. The therapeutic approach is based on a combination of dynamic and cognitive behavioral techniques. The therapists view violent behavior as a result of emotional blocks, and navigate the residents through a multi-level process that leads to their taking responsibility for their violent actions, understanding the consequences thereof, and creating alternative communication means, i.e., assertiveness and honesty. An integrated model of ongoing therapy Beit Noam therapy sessions last six hours a day and include group therapy, individual therapy, enrichment, and non-verbal therapies such as art and body image). The intensity of the process renders the treatment uniquely effective. Since Beit Noam opened its doors ten years ago, nearly 1000 men have applied to enter the residential treatment program, of which 400 have completed it. The program’s graduates receive post-residential support and followup treatment through a graduates group that meets on a regular basis. Since its establishment, Beit Noam has won for seven years in a row (first three years were pilot, financed by the National Security Office) the Welfare Ministry bid for therapeutic hostel treatment for violent men, and is 70% subsidized by the Ministry. The Israeli National Security Office sponsored a study that showed successful results of graduates maintaining non-violent behavior after Beit Noam treatment, exceeding our expectations. Because of its success, Beit Noam has generated local and worldwide interest throughout the professional community.