Unveiling Insights: Redefining Support Systems for Men’s Healing and Transformation

In a world where addressing violence and fostering awareness are paramount, how can we reshape our systems to better support men on their journey towards healing and change? These questions lie at the heart of our interview today with a visionary in this field, Matt Brown, the founder of She is Not your Rehab & innerBoy.

Prepare to be inspired as we uncover the stories, motivations, and aspirations that drive Matt’s mission to create a more compassionate and equitable world for all. Welcome to a conversation that challenges norms, sparks dialogue, and ignites hope for a future where healing and transformation are within reach for every individual.

What do you believe we need to do differently from a systems standpoint to better support men to move from violence to awareness and change?

Empowering people to really understand that their childhood trauma wasn’t their fault but their healing now is their responsibility. And them taking responsibility for this is not only an incredibly BRAVE and courageous action but will have direct and positive implications for their children and family line.

One size does not fit all when it comes to men doing this work – how can we better support all men to heal when, currently, most systems are constructed from a ‘one size fits all’ perspective?

One size will never fit all when we are uniquely made up of so many factors. Eg our ancestral DNA, our childhood experiences, the way we respond to situations, the tools we have access to to cope etc etc so rather than try to make something that fits everybody why not have multiple approaches that run alongside and collaborate with each other, each managed by people with lived experience who can be effective to a certain sector of society. I like to think of the strands of a rope – once tied together it’s incredibly strong. For example, my lived experience and my ethnicity means that I relate to a certain demographic of society well. I would never say my story or approach is for everyone but I believe I am effective to my target audience by being true to myself and owning my story while accepting that other people with their lives experience and identity can be more effective to others.

Is there a short-term versus long-term approach/practice/method that you believe we should be or could be using more effectively that we aren’t?

I believe we need to get away from the idea that any sort of “program” or “methodology” will completely solve any deeply rooted societal problems that in fact require a complete shift in how we as a society operate. When considering the fact that our rates of domestic violence are extraordinarily high, we need to ask ourselves what about our society is so sick that it creates the volume of violence that we experience. If it was just a few individuals we could perhaps put it down to “a few bad eggs” but we don’t have that. We need to rethink how we address the violence and look to heal the root cause which requires us to lean into our humanity and vulnerability and have more connected relationships in multiple spaces across society.

What inspired you to give a copy of your book to all male prisoners in NZ?

My own father being in and out of prison when I was growing up and wishing/hoping that he would get help so he could come home better for mum and us. I feel like what we invest into those incarcerated serving their sentences directly impacts how they return home to their children and partners. So I thought if I invested the books into the lives of those men, it would be an investment into their children.

Join Matt Brown at our 3rd Annual Working with Men to End Family, Domestic & Intimate Partner Violence Conference which takes place on 26-27 March 2024 in Melbourne & Online.

Click here to find out more.