Domestic and Sexual Violence Advocacy Training Topics

Lesson 1: History of Domestic Violence and Models in Anti-Violence Work
Root causes of violence; previous landmarks in domestic violence legislation; current legislation and its influences; models and theories in our work

Lesson 2: Power and Identity
Social identity, accountability, stereotypes, privilege and oppression, implicit bias, microaggressions, accountability, gender dysphoria and transitioning​

Lesson 3: Media and Culture
Media messages, gender portrayal, race & sexuality portrayals, representation in media, social media, importance of understanding news sources

Lesson 4: Domestic Violence 101 & Abusive Values​
Foundation and root causes of domestic violence, power and control, types of abuse, cycle of violence, common misconceptions, abusive values, anger management

Lesson 5: Children, Parenting, and Domestic Violence​
Perspectives of children of domestic violence, impact of domestic violence on children, what children learn, adverse childhood experiences, parenting and domestic violence, child custody

Lesson 6: Safety Planning and Crisis Intervention
Universal right to safety, safety planning, New Hope advocates, SAFEPLAN advocates, survivor protections, MA laws on restraining order and harassment prevention

Lesson 7: Sexual Violence
Facts and figures, terminology, rape culture, consent, impact of sexual violence, barriers to reporting, signs of abuse in people with disabilities, male survivors

Lesson 8: Child Sexual Abuse and Human Trafficking
Facts and statistics, child sexual abuse defined, forms and dynamics of child sexual abuse, responding to disclosures, adult survivors, human trafficking and sexual exploitation​

Lesson 9: Medical Response To Sexual Assault
SANE forensic exams, SANE vs non-SANE, survivors’ rights, reporting options, after an exam, levels of support, confidentiality, responding to a call for medical advocacy

Lesson 10: Trauma 101
What is trauma, events that can cause trauma, types of trauma, trauma responses, common effects, neurobiology of trauma, chemical responses to trauma

Lesson 11: Mental Health and Mental Illness
Definitions, PTSD and its prevalence, effects of PTSD, flashbacks, depression, language matters, suicide warning signs, preventing suicide

Lesson 12: Trauma Informed Care
Person-centered practice, trauma-informed advocacy, boundaries for advocates, why trauma-informed care matters, healthy boundaries

Lesson 13: Vicarious Trauma
Vicarious trauma and burnout, vicarious traumatic stress, avoiding trauma, self-care