Hispanics and Brazilian immigrants share many risk factors that make them vulnerable to domestic violence, but there was a need to serve Hispanic men in their own language, said Enrique Mendez, a program counselor.

A psychologist in his native Dominican Republic, Mendez is pursuing a master's degree at Boston College. He'll be in charge of offering individual counseling and workshops for the Spanish-speaking community.

"We want to help them understand the roots and the consequences of violence," he said. "We want to teach them how to manage stress and solve conflicts without using violence. We don't want more fatal cases of domestic violence in our communities."

Services are free. The program is funded by the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation. The program is offered in Framingham in collaboration with Voices Against Violence.

For more information, call 508-478-6888, ext. 165, for Wayside Men Against Violence Program, Portuguese-speaking program, and ext. 235 for the Spanish-speaking program.

(Liz Mineo can be reached at 508-626-3825 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .)