1. (a) Each certified batterers intervention program shall have the policy, procedures, staffing, training, operational methods and facilities to meet the following requirements:

   1. (1) Batterers intervention programs are educational programs based on a model of power and control designed to encourage clients to end violent and coercive behaviors in their relationships by challenging their belief systems and holding them accountable for their behavior.
   2. (2) Program focus shall be victim safety and client accountability. The service shall be based on non-victim blaming strategies.
   3. (3) Batterers intervention shall not be confused with anger control or management, substance abuse treatment and/or mental health treatment.
   4. (4) Services shall be provided in a facility with offices available for private individual and group sessions.
   5. (5) Services shall be provided to self-referred, court-referred, or Department of Human Services referred clients. Group services shall be the primary modality.
   6. (6) Groups shall not provide substance abuse treatment and batterers intervention in the same program; clients who have substance abuse issues need to be referred for separate substance abuse services.
   7. (7) The majority of group session time should be focused on the subject abuse itself, and not on peripheral problems, past victimization experienced by the client, self-actualization, sensitivity training, or any other theme not directly related to abuse.
   8. (8) Facilitators shall challenge minimization, denial and blame. These are tactics used by the client to justify the use of violence.
   9. (9) Clients shall be held accountable for their behavior; BIP facilitators shall report new offenses to the court.

2. (b) The goal of the batterers intervention program is to end the client's abusive behavior. This shall be achieved by confronting and dispelling the individual client's justifications for the use of violence within the relationship. Particular attention shall be paid to the belief systems that promote the use of intimidation, violence and coercion against intimate partners and children. Theories or methods which attribute to the victim any responsibility for the client's behavior or diminish the client's responsibility for the violence are inappropriate. Education shall be provided to the client utilizing written curriculum specifically developed for batterers intervention that comprehensively addresses, at a minimum:

   1. (1) abuse and violence as a form of control, and an explanation of the need to give up all forms of controlling and coercive behavior;
   2. (2) a detailed explanation of the range of abusive power and control behaviors, including coercive behavior, chronic verbal abuse, economic abuse, sexual abuse/mistreatment, psychological/mental abuse, physical abuse, abuse of animals, and use of the children as weapons;
   3. (3) support for and perpetuation of abuse are based on traditional gender roles and privilege.
   4. (4) non-abusive communication techniques;
   5. (5) effective coping strategies;
   6. (6) the impact of battering on children and the incompatibility of violence and abuse with responsible parenting;
   7. (7) the client must be able to identify all abusive conduct, the pattern of that conduct, and the culture which legitimizes or excuses both individual acts and the larger pattern of battering. This may include but not be limited to accepting personal as well as financial responsibility for child support, court costs, restitution, and BIP related costs;
   8. (8) developing healthy relationships; including techniques for achieving non-abusive, non-controlling attitudes and behavior.
   9. (9) non-abusive behavior planning for the prevention of violent, controlling and abusive behavior;
   10. (10) effects of domestic violence on victims from a victim perspective, and
   11. (11) the potential consequences of domestic violence to the client.

3. (c) The following methods have been determined to be inadequate and/or inappropriate, and shall not be the focus of intervention:

   1. (1) therapy, whether psycho-dynamic, individual or group;
   2. (2) communication enhancement, anger management or stress management techniques that blame anger as the root cause of domestic violence;
   3. (3) systems theory approaches that treat domestic violence as a result of mutual actions of the victim and client, thereby attributing some responsibility to the victim;
   4. (4) addiction counseling models that identify domestic violence as an addiction;
   5. (5) gradual containment and de-escalation of domestic violence;
   6. (6) theories that identify poor impulse control as the primary cause of domestic violence;
   7. (7) methods that identify psychopathology on either parties' part as a primary cause of domestic violence; and
4. (d) Services shall be provided during hours which make them available for clients whose work hours are between 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday.
5. (e) The program shall maintain admission criteria for batterers intervention services.
6. (f) The program shall provide individual assessment sessions and group sessions.
7. (g) Service policy shall not permit the substitution of individual sessions/counseling appointments for group participation except in a situation where only one client of a gender has been accepted into the program.
8. (h) Group sizes shall be limited to not less than two (2) and not more than sixteen (16) clients.
9. (i) Exit criteria shall be contingent on satisfactorily meeting specific criteria by the participant, and not merely upon the end of a specified period of time or a specified number of sessions.
10. (j) Joint participation shall not be allowed of the victim as part of batterers intervention.
11. (k) Male and female clients shall not be served in the same group or session.

12. (l) The program shall maintain an annually renewed service agreement with appropriate referral sources such as, but not limited to:

    1. (1) substance abuse;
    2. (2) mental health services; and
    3. (3) local OAG-certified domestic violence victim services.
13. (m) In the case of court-referred clients, the program shall develop a written policy for coordinating with and reporting to the court, judge, probation officer, child welfare worker and/or district attorney.
14. (n) In the case of non-court referred clients, the program shall develop a written policy for reporting client information, including but not limited to, assessment results, participation in services, reason for exit and concerns related to the safety of the victims or children.
15. (o) If other services for the client are necessary, appropriate referrals shall be made for such issues, including but not limited to mental health and/or substance abuse issues.
16. (p) Certified batterers intervention programs shall not be less than 52 weeks in duration. The 52 weekly group sessions shall be no less than ninety (90) minutes in length. Completion of a batterer's intervention program requires at a minimum 52 weekly attended sessions as well as a favorable evaluation from the program.

17. (q) The batterers intervention program shall not allow three unexcused (3) absences in succession or a total of seven unexcused (7) absences in a period of fifty-two (52) weeks. The client shall be terminated from the program as required by Title 21, Section 644 of the Oklahoma Statutes, and the court or other referring party shall be notified of the termination. Excused absences include:

    1. (1) Hospitalization or medical restriction from attending program session(s) (verified by proper medical documentation);
    2. (2) Military Duty (verified by proper military documentation);
    3. (3) Attending the birth of his or her child, if legally permitted to do so (occurring the week of the birth and verified by proper documentation);
    4. (4) Attending the funeral of an immediate family member such as a spouse/partner, child/dependent, parent, or grandparent (occurring the week of the funeral and verified by proper documentation);
    5. (5) Attending a court hearing pertaining only to the existing criminal case or DHS welfare deprived case (verified by proper documentation); or
    6. (6) Inclement weather as determined at the discretion of the certified program.
18. (r) Certified batterers intervention programs shall provide assessment, intake, and exit interview services exclusively in person. Programs shall provide in person weekly group sessions, in addition to any offering of virtual group sessions, as the exclusive use of virtual platforms to facilitate group is not acceptable. Programs with a Temporary Certification shall only be eligible to offer virtual group sessions following successful completion of the certification process and upon being granted Certification as defined in chapter 1 of this title. Any program that desires to offer virtual group sessions shall make an application to offer this provision of services to the OAG on a form provided by the VASU prior to offering any virtual group sessions under any of the following circumstances:
19. (1) If the client resides or works in a county that does not have a certified batterers intervention program, and the nearest certified program is over forty-five (45) miles from their residence or work site;
20. (2) If the client has an occupation that requires that they regularly, and physically work away from the nearest certified program more than two weeks in succession per month;
21. (3) If the client has accessibility or accommodation needs to address consistent lack of transportation and/or disability; or
22. (4) If the program has outlined in an inclement weather policy procedures for offering virtual group sessions.
23. (s) Programs utilizing platforms to allow clients to participate in group sessions virtually shall develop specific written policies and procedures regarding such programming. Policies and procedures shall include, at a minimum, virtual specific considerations of the following:
24. (1) Victim safety;
25. (2) Assignment of a trained facilitator to every virtual group;
26. (3) Facilitators shall provide at least twelve (12) in-person group sessions before being eligible to facilitate virtual group;
27. (4) Group size of no less than two (2) and no more than ten (10) participants; and
28. (5) Provision of services are certified solely pertaining to the State of Oklahoma, and group rules and expectations.
29. (t) Programs shall document reason(s) as to why an individual was placed in a virtual group instead of an in-person group offered by the program, including evaluation of individual participant needs, and victim;
30. (u) To the extent possible, group format should remain consistent for the duration of the participant’s time in the program; and
31. (v) Participants must agree to abide by the program standards and rules, including any additional rules specific to virtual group sessions, such as:
32. (1) Cameras must remain on;
33. (2) Internet must be stable;
34. (3) Appropriate equipment to participate virtually including a camera, headphones, microphones, speakers, or other devices necessary to ensure that the participant can been seen and heard and can hear the facilitator and other participants;
35. (4) No drinking alcohol, smoking, vaping, or chewing tobacco during the session;
36. (5) No driving during the session;
37. (6) No eating food during the session;
38. (7) Participants must be fully clothed during the session and show a 360-degree view (full view) of the room they are in to ensure they are alone for the session's duration;
39. (8) The group is a confidential and shall not be recorded;
40. (9) Cell phones shall be turned off or silenced during the group session;
41. (10) The device on which a participant attends session must be full charged and updated;
42. (11) Participants shall not check email, other mobile phone applications, or do other tasks during group session.
43. (12) Participants shall take precautions to ensure no interruptions of the session by animals or household members, including children, shall occur.
44. (w) If the client is terminated for any reason as set forth herein, the client shall be required to obtain a new assessment and commence a new fifty-two (52) week program. No credit for prior program attendance shall be allowed. Termination from a program terminates any and all credits accumulated by said client.
45. (x) Compliance with this Section shall be determined by a review of program policy and procedures; client records; service agreements, and other program documentation.

Added at 27 Ok Reg 1723, eff 7-1-10

Amended at 28 Ok Reg 1923, eff 7-11-11

Amended at 29 Ok Reg 1770, eff 8-11-12

Amended at 33 Ok Reg 1219, eff 9-11-16

Amended at 35 Ok Reg 871, eff 9-14-18

Amended at 42 Ok Reg, Number 20, effective 7-11-25

Amended at 43 Ok Reg, Number 18, effective 6-11-26