The CARE Method: Based on the Risk-Need-Responsivity Model, a Manual for Counselors of Female Clients

Break Cycles and Build Strength for Women in Domestic Violence Treatment

Women arrested for domestic violence often enter treatment carrying complex histories—shaped by trauma, survival strategies, societal stigma, and the legal system’s gendered biases. Unlike traditional approaches designed primarily for male offenders, The CARE Method provides a specialized, evidence-based framework for counseling tailored to the unique pathways that lead women to use violence.
This research-driven manual acknowledges that female domestic violence offenders often:

• Struggle with trauma histories and attachment wounds – Many women arrested for domestic violence have experienced prior victimization.
• Face societal double standards – Women in the criminal justice system often navigate conflicting narratives, viewed simultaneously as victims and perpetrators.
• Exhibit different violence typologies – Unlike traditional battering models, many women engage in situational violence, reactive violence, or self-defensive aggression rather than coercive control.

Inside, counselors will find:

• A trauma-informed framework – Strategies for addressing the intersection of past victimization and present violence without excusing harmful behaviors.
• Client-centered counseling methods – A step-by-step guide for fostering engagement, reducing resistance, and supporting accountability through motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and structured intervention plans.
• Neuroscience and emotional regulation techniques – Tools to help clients manage stress, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation.

This expanded edition includes five prelude chapters that help bridge the gap between trauma awareness and behavioral change, ensuring that female clients feel seen, heard, and prepared to take meaningful steps toward transformation.
Whether you are a seasoned counselor or new to working with court-mandated female offenders, The CARE Method will equip you with the tools to navigate resistance, challenge harmful patterns, and guide women toward lasting behavioral change.

Gold Medal Winner of the 2025 North American Book Awards in Nonfiction: Educational.

Nil Buckley, MA, LPC, LAC, DVCS, NCC, ACS is a mental health counselor and educator specializing in domestic violence intervention and treatment. As the founder of Vivus Counseling Services, she has developed the CARE Method, a research-driven curriculum designed to address the root causes of domestic violence and foster meaningful change.

Nil Buckley, MA, LAC, LPC, DVCS, NCC, ACS is a mental health counselor and educator specializing in domestic violence intervention and treatment. As the founder of Vivus Counseling Services, she has developed the CARE Method, a research-driven curriculum designed to address the root causes of domestic violence and foster meaningful change.