Here is what attendees say about the workshop:

"At first I resented being told I had to do Anger Management. I didn't feel I needed it. After a short time in the program I realized how much it was what I needed. The program really helped me check into the anger I was always trying to hide."
-Michael H.

"I've had a lot of different types of counseling for my anger issues and I paid a lot for them. Alternatives to Violence was the best use of my time and money then the others. Santiago made it all make sense to me in the simplest of ways. I don't regret a minute of it."
-Corey I.

"I wasn't told by a court or anything to come to this program. A friend of mine told me about it after my wife and I had had a big fight and I ended up at his place. It's really helped me take a closer look at my anger and attitude in ways I never considered. It's a real good program and I'm glad I took my friends advice."
-David T.

"Somehow, Santiago can really see beyond what you're saying and helps you make sense of what you're feeling. I never felt so comfortable in these types of groups, but Alternatives to Violence really considers your feelings. Put's you at ease so sharing is not so big a deal and I do feel a lot better after each class."
- Jeremy S.

What is Alternatives to Violence?

Alternatives to Violence, is an education program, for women and men that helps the individual better recognize their emotion of anger. Anger awareness is key to anger management and when addressed effectively can prevent hurtful behaviors.Our goal is to raise awareness of the behavior. Awareness can be the beginning of the end of that behavior.


What is "Domestic Violence"?

Domestic Violence is more than hitting it is destructive. There are so many types of behaviors, which fall under this term, many which go unchecked because they are not as apparent as hitting. Verbal, Emotional, Psychological are the terms, but the hurting can be much more vast.

Domestic Violence is an abusive pattern of coercive control that one person exercises over another. Battering is a behavior that physically harms, arouses fear, prevents a partner from doing what they wish or forces them to behave in ways they do not want. Battering includes the use of physical and sexual violence, threats and intimidation, emotional abuse and economic deprivation.

People who turn to their fists feel powerless and overly dependent on their partners, they are not merely angry. Domestic abuse is destructive for both the battered and the batterer, and its tendency to be passed down over generations makes it all the more important that we develop effective methods for combating it. Aggression eliminates self-doubt and batterers resort to it whenever their sense of self feels threatened--unless someone teaches them a better way, like compassion the behavior will result in abuse.


Who is effected?

Domestic violence can happen to anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion or gender. It can happen to a couple who are married, living together or who are merely dating. It can happen to children and elders and others living in a home where abuse is common. Domestic violence affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels.

Domestic violence occurs in heterosexual, as well as same-sex partnerships, and crosses all ethnic, racial and social-economic lines.