The Ethical Inquiry Approach
Where engagement with men who use violence opens pathways to understanding responsibility, risk and change
Ethical Inquiry is a practice framework that helps practitioners maintain accountability while generating meaningful information about responsibility, risk, and readiness for change. Developed through statutory practice and men's behaviour change programs, it offers a structured approach for working with men who use violence that is denied, disputed, minimised, or performed.
Professionals working with men who use violence often face the same challenge: when abuse is denied, minimised, or disputed, engagement can quickly collapse into confrontation or stalemate.
Drawing on Narrative Therapy, Alan Jenkins’s Invitational Practice, family violence scholarship, and contemporary understandings of power, Ethical Inquiry provides a respectful and structured approach to accountability that helps practitioners and clinicians maintain clarity, strengthen engagement, and generate meaningful information about responsibility and change.
Through international training, consultation, and practice development, Parallel Journeys supports organisations to strengthen their work with men who use violence and improve safety for women and children.
Training
Training programs and workshops designed for professionals to address family violence and to engage male perpetrators effectively
Individualised consultation services for professionals addressing family violence in case management and for engaging male perpetrators
Online training for practitioners includes eLearning and webinars
Online Learning
Consultation
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Ryan Greenwell
------SOCIAL WORKER, TRAINER AND COURSE DESIGNER------
Ryan Greenwell is an Australian social worker, trainer, and therapist based in Perth, Western Australia. He holds a Master’s degree in Narrative Therapy and Community Work from the University of Melbourne and has worked for more than a decade in family violence intervention, child protection, and practitioner training.
Grounded in Narrative Therapy and Alan Jenkins’s Invitational Practice, Ryan specialises in engaging men who use violence within statutory and quasi-statutory settings. Since 2012, he has facilitated men’s behaviour change programs, worked in child protection and supported practitioners across Australia and Europe through training, consultation, and supervision.
Ryan is the developer of Ethical Inquiry, a practice framework for engaging men who use violence while maintaining accountability, ethical practice, and a clear focus on the safety of women and children. He is the author of the forthcoming book Ethical Inquiry: Posture, Power and Engagement with Men Who Use Violence.
Ryan has published in the International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work and regularly presents on perpetrator engagement, practitioner positioning, and ethical responses to violence.
See Ryan's presentation at the AASW International Conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health 2024 - Addressing Denial: A Case Study on Facilitating Respectful and Accountable Conversations with Perpetrators of Family Violence using the 'Ethical Inquiry'
See Kerry and Ryan's presentation at the 2021 Online International Signs of Safety Gathering - Using an Ethical Inquiry with Perpetrators of Family Violence
Course design and delivery
Ethical Inquiry Webinar Series
Ethical Inquiry 2-Day Training
The Ethical Inquiry Webinar Series is a six-session interactive online course that integrates theory, structured questioning, and professional positioning to support accountable engagement with men who use domestic violence.
Ethical Inquiry is a two-day, practice-focused training that integrates theory, structured questioning, and professional positioning to support practitioners in engaging men who use domestic violence, while keeping accountability and safety central in any intervention setting.
The two day Our Way Workshop is delivered face-to-face to professionals for engaging Indigenous men for cultural healing and behaviour change. This workshop is designed and delivered by Aldo Macale, a Jaru/Gija man from the East Kimberley, Western Australia. Aldo is also delivers the Our Way Program, a therapeutic service to Indigenous men in various locations around Australia.
Our Way Workshop
Using an online audio-visual platform, Ryan provides individualised professional consultations in the following areas:
Engaging men who use family violence
Social work
Relationships
Resolving conflict
Parenting/Fathering
Ryan also receives referrals through BetterHelp.
Professional Consultation
Contact Us
Reach out for more information or for a quote.
© 2026 Parallel Journeys Consulting. All rights reserved.
Ryan Greenwell is an Accredited Social Worker and a member of the Australian Association of Social Work.
Parallel Journeys Consulting respectfully acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians, and pay our respects to Elders past and present.
Parallel Journeys Consulting is a registered business name with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission
Australian Business Number: 74 958 982 993