Resource Library

Mindfulness allows one to focus on the present, get out of the worry loop, and center themselves to move forward continually. Individuals come to the team with their personalities, professions, and trauma backgrounds, making every multi-disciplinary team (MDT) its unique organism, functioning with a specific personality and energy. These teams continually work hard to improve the justice system for survivors and that work can deplete resilience. MDT meetings can become frustrating and even re-traumatizing. By addressing both trauma and secondary trauma directly, looking at options for more effective supportive teamwork can begin. This webinar will address valuable tools for MDTs and individuals to practice self-care.

Often referred to as the “invisible injury”, this webinar will focus on partner-inflicted brain injuries: how to identify them including signs and symptoms, how to talk to survivors about your concerns, and resources available for practitioners in the field.

This presentation will focus on the impact of how using a risk assessment tool will provide stability and sustainability with High Risk IPV Intervention Programs in rural and underserved communities.

Crime victims who are limited English proficient (LEP) or use different modes of communication such as sign language need meaningful, effective, and equal access to crime victim services and criminal justice supports. This webinar will address the barriers victims who are LEP or use different modes of communication encounter and how to enhance their access to justice in rural communities.

The Sexual Violence Justice Institute a program of the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault will present on building a baseline knowledge of systems-change sexual assault response teams (SARTs). The training will also provide SARTs with the knowledge and tools for effective multidisciplinary teamwork.

Despite years of efforts, traditional criminal legal responses to intimate partner violence (IPV) have fallen short of improving victim safety and increasing offender accountability. Building on coordination models, the Intimate Partner Violence Intervention (IPVI) employs the National Network for Safe Communities’ (NNSC) evidence-based focused deterrence approach to identify and deter the most serious IPV offenders, reduce IPV, and reduce harm to victims. Through a partnership of law enforcement, victim advocates, social service providers, and community members, IPVI addresses all intimate partner violence offenders known to the criminal justice system. One of the structure’s essential elements is the ability to focus on offenders at early stages of offending, before violence or patterns of behavior escalate, offering community-based outreach, support, and messaging about the potential consequences of continued IPV offending. Through this approach, jurisdictions are able to establish themselves as the entity responsible for addressing the violence, thus shifting the burden of action off the victim. The NNSC and partners in High Point, North Carolina began a pilot project of the IPVI in 2009 which lead to dramatic reductions in IPV homicides and victim injuries. Since then, IPVI has been implemented in diverse jurisdictions nationwide, with many early indicators of success. This webinar will focus on the principles behind IPVI, how it works, and the essential steps that jurisdictions can take to successfully implement this innovative initiative.

Collaborative efforts are essential to end teen dating violence. While many collaborative teams and service providers were initially created with adult survivors in mind, it’s important to understand the unique needs and barriers young survivors face. This session will help collaborative teams assess readiness for working with and serving youth, and includes tools, reflection questions, and suggested protocols for collaborative, community-based efforts to address teen dating violence in rural communities. Special attention is given to meaningful integration of young people into collaborative work.

This presentation will describe a community-based participatory research project to understand rural Vermont residents’ experiences of co-occurring opioid use and intimate partner violence. This multi-stage and multi-method project involved a qualitative needs assessment with a community sample of people with lived experience of opioid use and partner violence, a community brainstorming event, the development of an online cross-training for peer recovery coaches and survivor advocates, and evaluation of the cross-training curriculum. Dr. Stone and Ms. Kinney will also discuss other challenges and opportunities related to the project and to meeting the needs of rural residents seeking safety and recovery.

The webinar focuses on strategies to build both internal and external community relationships in the field of intimate partner and trafficking violence. Implementing strategic organizational changes within healthcare settings allows for understanding of the opportunity for healthcare professionals to screen patients for intimate partner violence/human trafficking in a trauma informed manner and refer to community resources. This practice and implementation can be utilized in rural and urban healthcare centers, including hospitals and community clinics.

There is an unspoken expectation that if a victim reports a crime, that the victim must definitely participate in the investigation and conviction of that crime. However, what is often misunderstood, misinterpreted, or simply forgotten is that victims endure many mental, physical, and systemic barriers that impede their ability to cooperate with law enforcement and other purveyors of criminal justice. It is vital that officers recognize these obstacles and have strategies in place to circumvent these complications in order to support victims and carry out effective investigations. This webinar will explore the reasons why victims cannot/do not participate, how to work cases without victims, and to highlight the importance of victim advocacy.

This presentation will discuss building a successful partnership between community advocates and law enforcement agencies in order to address intimate partner violence. The presenters will discuss the roles of law enforcement and community-based advocates in the response to intimate partner violence (IPV) crimes, specifically in rural areas. The presentation will also discuss the building blocks of creating a positive relationship between law enforcement, advocates and police culture regarding advocacy. The presentation will also highlight common challenges and solutions involving information sharing that may occur between advocates and law enforcement and give helpful suggestions for building and maintaining the vital relationships between first responders and advocates regarding intimate partner violence.

This webinar will highlight the results from a study, Older Victims of Sexual and Domestic Violence: Understanding Gaps in Systems Responses and Community Services in Texas, conducted by the University of Central Florida and the University of Texas Medical Branch Center for Violence Prevention. This project, a collaboration with Texas Council on Family Violence and Texas Association Against Family Violence, assesses the needs and experiences of female-identified Texas survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, aged 50 and older, and offers recommendations and promising practices for supporting older survivors.

Coordinated community responses (CCRs) to domestic violence have been successful over the past forty years in leveraging the criminal legal system to hold abusers accountable and send messages of help to survivors. Although some survivors have found safety, many others have, in fact, been negatively impacted by systemic intervention. In rural communities, such inequities can result when law enforcement is ill-equipped to meet the communication needs of Deaf survivors or when shelters are unprepared to meet the needs of survivors with mental illnesses. Rural CCRs need practical, concrete tools and strategies to identify and reduce systemic inequities so that ALL survivors in their communities experience increased safety, help, and support.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been considered a public health issue since the 1960s. However, research shows that only 10-25% of victims seek any type of traditional victim services; but almost everyone visits the doctor. As a result, healthcare professionals are often the only potential point of intervention for victims and must have the tools in place to address IPV in their clinics and offices. In this webinar, attendees will learn about the prevalence of intimate partner violence, ways to implement effective screening, and trauma-informed practices for addressing these health harming legal needs. The presenters will share how the Texas Advocacy Project can provide free legal help for patients in need.

Understanding how to support survivor's privacy, privilege, and confidentiality rights is critical to support safety and choice. This webinar, presented by the Texas Council on Family Violence and the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, will provide an overview of both federal confidentiality laws and state statutes that offer protections to survivors, including the new privilege statute just passed for survivors of sexual assault. The presenters will also discuss exceptions to the law, and the important pieces of a properly executed a release of information to ensure survivors are informed and their privilege is protected.

The most dangerous time for a domestic violence victim is the time immediately after leaving the relationship. Women are 3.6 times more likely to be killed shortly after leaving their partner, and the presence of firearms increases the lethality of the violence and expands the number of victims. Research has shown that state laws prohibiting persons subject to protection orders from possessing firearms and requiring them to surrender firearms in their possession were associated with a 14% lower rate of intimate partner firearm homicide.  Taking the steps to ensure that those who are ineligible to possess surrender their firearms could very well save a life. In this webinar, participants will learn the steps necessary for developing a firearm surrender protocol in their community. The presenters will explore all aspects of a successful protocol, from getting buy-in from the necessary criminal justice partners to procedure and paper work, including examples of protocols/procedures currently utilized by communities that are already successfully surrendering firearms.

Did you know that 1 in 3 teens will experience dating violence each year? In this webinar, Jana’s Campaign will provide background on teen dating violence, briefly discuss obligations K-12 schools and colleges have to address these issues, and describe how communities can better help teens recognize unhealthy relationship behaviors and promote healthy relationships. Attendees will leave with innovative ideas about preventing teen dating violence and working with young people to do so.

Every year, 3-4 million women in the U.S. are abused by an intimate partner, and as many as 1,600 are killed by their abusers. Identifying the level of danger facing a victim is a persistent challenge. Several factors are associated with an increased risk of homicide—in particular, the co-occurrence of sexual violence and strangulation. Trauma-informed investigations and evidence-based prosecutions are essential to the identification of these co-occurring crimes, safety planning with survivors, and offender accountability.  This webinar will focus on the signs and symptoms of strangulation injury; common dynamics and prevalence of intimate partner sexual violence; and the importance of documentation, safety planning, and collaboration with advocates and medical experts. The presenter will discuss risk factors and assessment, as well as investigative and legal considerations in these cases.

This webinar will define statistics regarding the transgender community and the barriers to gaining access to care. Resources are discussed to help break down the barriers.

This webinar provides statistics to emphasize the importance of addressing the presence of firearms in family violence cases.

This webinar defines Legislative Advocacy and offers a deep understanding of the Texas Legislative process in order to teach various methods of advocating.

This webinar highlights strategic prevention efforts to family violence through battering intervention programs.

This webinar takes an in depth approach to the Texas State Plan on combatting family violence.

This webinar teaches the blueprint to an effective coordinated community response, including core elements and execution practices.

This webinar will explain Project ReVEAL: Recording victim video statements as evidence to advance legal outcomes in family violence cases.

This webinar discusses how trauma affects children in regards to DV situations. It highlights how trauma works in a childs brain and what they interpret from the scene.

This webinar highlights valuable information regarding starting, implementing, and executing a coordinated community response.

This webinar does a deep dive into what trauma is and how it impacts the brain via behaviors, memories, etc.

This webinar discusses why trauma affects victims in ways that might alter how she receives services and what you can do about it as a service provider.

This webinar will help attendees understand the basic dynamics that lead to child abuse, sex trafficking, and domestic violence. The presenters will discuss the cyclical nature of these types of victimizations and the connective factors that cause these to link together as a spectrum of violence. Attendees wil gain insight into best practices in response to these types of victimizations as well as best practices in movement toward a more comprehensive approach in addressing these survivors and their healing process (2020).

This Genesis Women's Shelter & Support webinar covers the many reasons why women stay in abusive relationships, including safety concerns and lack of resources, as well as ways that family and friends can support women regardless of their choice to stay or leave (Uploaded 2020).

Part 1 of this BWJP webinar series discusses the role of law enforcement in response to IPV, and the relationship between advocacy groups and police officers (2017).

This BWJP webinar offers ways in which interviews with traumatized individuals can be structured to prevent re-victimization and vicarious trauma (2016).

This webinar, provided by Genesis Women's Shelter & Support, discusses different types of unhelpful thinking patterns, and how to help challenge negative thoughts (Uploaded 2020).

This Genesis Women's Shelter & Support webinar explains "the window of tolerance" and discusses coping skills to help clients get back into their window (Uploaded 2020).

This BWJP webinar explores the history of interrogation techniques and discusses efficacy and shortfalls in current interview strategies (2017).

This webinar will engage participants in thinking through what helps when someone is experiencing emotional distress. We will look at the factors that shape how we respond to distress and crisis and discuss both individual and organizational strategies to respond to distress in trauma-informed ways (January 2016).

This webinar, provided by Genesis Women's Shelter & Support, unpacks the components of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) triangle and how it can be used effectively in work with clients (Uploaded 2020).

This webinar, hosted by the National Center on Elder Abuse, discusses new methods for intervention in elder abuse cases, and how to effectively approach the issue as a whole (2017).

This webinar from the National Alliance for Safe Housing highlights the District Alliance for Safe Housing's use of flex funding to swiftly provide cash assistance to address survivor's housing barriers; Minnesota's Coalition for Battered Women's use of flex funding as a strategy for increasing survivors' economic empowerment; and the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence's incorporation of flex funding as a core component of their DV Housing First Model. Emphasis will be on survivor choice in identifying what they needed as a core component of flexible financial assistance (2019).

This webinar, provided by Genesis Women's Shelter & Support, discusses the importance of support systems, as well as how to identify healthy and unhealthy supports (Uploaded 2020).

This webinar, presented by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, discusses the research findings on the connection between suicidality and intimate partner violence (2013).

This webinar, provided by Genesis Women's Shelter & Support, focuses on preparing a safety plan specific to survivors of domestic violence (Uploaded 2020).

Survivors of domestic and sexual violence often seek assistance from homeless service/housing providers. This National Alliance for Safe Housing webinar is designed to introduce some basic concepts and best practices related to discussing safety with survivors participating in homeless/housing programs (2019)

This webinar, provided by Genesis Women's Shelter & Support, examines the concept of "safe/comfortable place", and how to use it effectively when working with clients (Uploaded 2020).

This webinar from the National Alliance for Safe Housing will discuss VAWA protections, as well as the impact of potential policy changes, such as the HUD mixed status rule or the public charge rule, and provide additional resources and information (2020).

This webinar from the National Alliance for Safe Housing will discuss how to identify and help immigrant survivors navigate challenges when seeking services and safety, as well as focus on strengths-based and trauma-informed advocacy for immigrant survivors (2020)

The Rural Behavior Webinar Series provides resources and information on how to approach mental health in rural communities, and the obstacles that plague that demographic (2019).

This webinar, hosted by the National Center on Protection Orders and Full Faith & Credit, examines the barriers to safety that threaten victims with disabilities. The presenter provides advocates and attorneys with tips for eliminating these barriers by making the process more accessible to all (2018).

This Genesis Women's Shelter & Support webinar explains common behaviors or "red flag" that may indicate an abusive relationship (Uploaded 2020).

This webinar from the National Alliance for Safe Housing examines how housing first and rapid re-housing models can be adapted for domestic and sexual violence survivors. We explore effective approaches employed by a growing number of victim service programs to lower barriers for survivors accessing housing assistance, as well as what we're learning about their impact (2018).

This BWJP webinar highlights the 2009 Partner Rape Study which explored the prevalence of intimate partner rape in adult sex offenders and domestic violence offenders in treatment in Colorado (2015).

This Genesis Women's Shelter & Support webinar explains the different types of abuse and the dynamics of power and control in abusive relationships (Uploaded 2020).

This webinar, provided by Genesis Women's Shelter & Support, focuses on defining and setting personal boundaries in relationships. Traits of boundaries discussed included rigid, porous, and healthy (Uploaded 2020).

This Genesis Women's Shelter & Support webinar discusses the importance of multicultural awareness and how to ensure your agency and staff are using best practices when working with clients of various backgrounds and ethnicities (Uploaded 2020).

This BWJP webinar focuses on strategies for working with LGBTQ survivors of violence, with an emphasis on service members and veterans (2014).

This webinar, provided by Genesis Women's Shelter & Support, discusses what mindfulness is and how to implement it in both work and personal lives (Uploaded 2020).

This Genesis Women's Shelter & Support webinar explains how trauma impacts the brain, as well as the fight, flight, and freeze response (Uploaded 2020).

This webinar from the National Alliance for Safe Housing will explore proactive ways to partner with landlords in your community and how to ensure survivors are partners throughout the process. We will examine why cultivating relationships between landlords and survivors can be challenging and provide strategies to help domestic and sexual violence develop these partnerships successfully (2019).

This Genesis Women's Shelter & Support webinar examines the importance of goal setting with clients and their children (Uploaded 2020).

This advocacy-focused webinar, hosted by ASISTA, seeks to identify special immigration remedies for victims, including special VAWA provisions around confidentiality; and how to prepare enhanced safety plans for immigrant survivors  (2017).

This webinar, provided by Genesis Women's Shelter & Support, explains the importance of emotional safety planning and how to create an individualized plan (Uploaded 2020).

This webinar, provided by Genesis Women's Shelter & Support, examines emotional abuse and its ramifications on the lives of victims and their children (Uploaded 2020).

This webinar, presented by the National Indigenous Elder Justice Initiative, explores elder abuse in Indian Country, as well as best practices to detect and investigate it (2017).

This Genesis Women's Shelter & Support webinar provides an introductory look at domestic violence dynamics, and some of the options that exist for victims and survivors (Uploaded 2020).

This BWJP webinar presents findings from the Australian Communications Consumer Advocacy Network funded study "Domestic violence and communication technology: Victim experiences of intrusion, surveillance, and identity theft" (2019).

This Genesis Women's Shelter & Support webinar examines domestic violence and various intersectionalities that affect client care (Uploaded 2020).

This webinar, provided by Genesis Women's Shelter & Support, examines the cycle of violence in domestic violence relationships (Uploaded 2020).

This Genesis Women's Shelter & Support webinar defines and details coping skills, including distraction, grounding, emotional release, self care, thought challenge, access higher self, and safety planning (Uploaded 2020).

This webinar from the National Alliance for Safe Housing presents a snapshot from two communities working to meet the housing needs of survivors in their rural areas (2018).

This Futures Without Violence webinar focuses on trafficking in rural areas, and how collaboration can facilitate more effective investigations and prosecution. (2016).

This National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, & Mental Health webinar provides an introduction to thinking about the needs of children who are experiencing domestic violence in their families (2015).

This resource provides several videos of Catholic homilies, as well as survivor stories, geared towards spreading awareness about domestic violence (2019).

This Genesis Women's Shelter & Support webinar discusses the benefits of deep breathing for both clients and practitioners (Uploaded 2020).

This webinar, provided by Genesis Women's Shelter & Support, gives an overview of Autism Spectrum Disorder and how this population may be more vulnerable to traumatic events (Uploaded 2020).

This OVW-funded webinar describes a new protocol developed in Massachussetts for assessing risk of men who attend batterer intervention programs (2018).

This Genesis Women's Shelter & Support webinar provides an overview of art therapy and how it can be used when working with victims of trauma (Uploaded 2020).

Part 2 of this BWJP webinar series explores law enforcement's initial response to DV cases, as well as how they implement legal concepts and learned strategies into real world cases (2017).

This webinar, provided by Genesis Women's Shelter & Support, discusses increasing self-esteem and how it can positively impact the lives of survivors (Uploaded 2020).

This Genesis Women's Shelter & Support webinar focuses on the importance of self care and establishing an intentional routine (Uploaded 2020).

This webinar, provided by Genesis Women's Shelter & Support, presents a guide to mindfulness and its benefits, including emotional centering and regulation (Uploaded 2020).

This BWJP webinar explores the usual, negative systemic response to violence survivors who have a history of substance abuse, and provides suggestions for improvement (2018).