Many psychologists who work with male perpetrators of family violence may be afraid to focus on their clients’ trauma history in case it is used to excuse or justify the violence. Others may focus on the trauma at the expense of powerful cultural and gender dynamics that play a huge role in family violence. This workshop will explore the individual and social impacts of complex trauma and the public discourses on working with violent men such as the ‘monster’ and ‘lost cause’ narratives and the sharp distinction between perpetrator and victim/survivor. It will aim to reconcile feminist, trauma-informed and human rights-based approaches to working with family violence and demonstrate practical steps at implementing trauma-informed approaches to working with male perpetrators of family violence, and coordinating individual, group and social change.