David Nugent: Toward A Grounded, Balanced Future

David Nugent is a psychotherapist and facilitator of men’s behavior change programs, which he runs under the banner Heavy M.E.T.A.L. Group (Men’s Education Towards Anger and Life).

He has worked with adults and teenagers for 20 years, and his specialty is supporting men to overcome anger and family violence-related behavioral issues in the Australian community.

David founded his Heavy M.E.T.A.L. Group programs to help men identify, understand, and take responsibility for their behavior, attitudes, and emotional reactions. He leverages his professional skills and unique experience with violent behavior to help others live a non-violent, non-abusive lifestyle. “I struggled with my behavior and promised myself that I would never be like my father. And my father was abusive.”

“I provide Behaviour Change Programs for men who are perpetrators of Family Violence. Their challenges are getting angry with the people they care about most and doing things that leave them feeling guilty and ashamed. They often feel overwhelmed, out of control, and confused.”

Through Heavy M.E.T.A.L, David uses positive psychology to help his clients discover their values and develop key skills such as intimacy, self-worth, confidence, and relationships.

Transforming Lives With Heavy M.E.T.A.L.

David was a graduate psychotherapist in counseling and human services when he initially founded Heavy M.E.T.A.L.

The program began with two levels. It addressed a real, pressing need from Day One and was significantly more involved and in-depth than any programs available back then: “From the very beginning, we offered 40 weeks with two levels. The first level was 20 weeks. So it was double the standard men’s program at the time.”

More importantly, it delved into topics David felt the police and government programs didn’t cover. Notably:

Communicating effectively with partners while managing key triggers and assumptions
Understanding a partner’s thoughts and feelings without feeling “attacked” or defensive
Seeking and receiving feedback from partners to make positive behavioral changes.

The program was so successful that many men returned repeatedly, sometimes even four or five times. Like David, they realized the importance of long-term commitment for making change.

Soon, however, he started noticing a growing difference between the needs of repeat, long-term Heavy M.E.T.A.L. participants and the program’s newer attendees: