“Speaking Up: Recognizing and Addressing Domestic Violence in the Christian Community”

Are you concerned that the clients you are seeing are minimizing or excusing violence and abuse in their relationships because they are Christians?

These trainings provide valuable resources to understand the complexities of abuse and give you language and tools to make a difference in their lives to achieve the goals of safety for the victims and accountability for the abuser. Learn more about our online courses below.

Christian Response

Are you a lay counselor, working in the ministry or longing to learn from the scriptures how to address domestic violence and trafficking?  You have come to the right place.

• Self Care
• Definitions of Domestic Violence
• Dynamics of Power and Control
• Impact of Violence on Children
• Parenting and Domestic Violence
• Safety Planning
• Responding to Domestic Violence within the Christian Faith
• Recommendations for Working with Victims and Perpetrators
• The Community of Faith as a Resource
• Links Between Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking
• Change and Accountability
• A Coordinated Community Response

If you would like a certificate of completion, then you will need to fill out an evaluation form. Then upon completion you will be prompted to take a quiz and then a certificate of completion will be emailed.

Also, you will be invited to join a secret Facebook Group that others who have completed this training have joined. This will provide you with a supportive community for you and the work you provide! Thank you for considering this training! This is a conversation that needs to happen!

TOGETHER, we can do justice by mercifully restoring broken relationships! (Micah 6:8)

Mental Health Professionals

Counseling when domestic violence is disclosed can be confusing and dangerous.  This course will equip you to address both needs of victims and perpetrators, especially those within the Christian faith.

Mental Health Professionals have often been mistrusted and misunderstood by religious communities, especially when it comes to matters of the family.  It is crucial that mental health professionals, working with religious communities, are open to the concerns and viewpoints of leaders.  It is the leaders of the church and community who are looking for help when supporting their members.  When referring, there may be fear that one of their loved ones be ‘led astray’ from their religious-convictions and foundations.  To be fully able to address the needs of individuals and families facing the pain of domestic violence, this course is essential. It assists the mental health and religious communities to work together to understand their differences and similarities.  It shows them how to combine their strengths for the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of individuals, families and society.

There are 11 modules included, each designed to take between 1 1/2 to 2 hours. This curriculum is offered online and is accompanied by videos that will share real-life stories from domestic violence survivors. Educational materials provided by domestic violence advocates and religious resources provided by Christian faith communities.  All is combined to educate and invite dialogue about the impact of domestic violence and trauma in the Christian community.

Topics include:

• Self Care
• Definitions of Domestic Violence
• Dynamics of Power and Control
• Impact of Violence on Children
• Parenting and Domestic Violence
• Safety Planning
• Responding to Domestic Violence within the Christian Faith
• Recommendations for Working with Victims and Perpetrators
• The Community of Faith as a Resource
• Links Between Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking
• Change and Accountability
• A Coordinated Community Response

Upon completion you will be prompted to take a quiz and fill out a course evaluation.  Thank you for considering this course.  Speaking Up is key for all of us!

Trainer Package

For those interested in training and training materials.

Welcome to Speaking Up! This trainers package is meant to help you train individuals who are attempting to support the victims of Domestic Violence in the Christian Community. Speaking Up is designed to inform and then equip you to understand domestic violence. It also can show you how to train the church and community leaders how to support the victims. The course invites you to be a part of the growing movement against the unspeakable with defiant hope.

There are 11 modules included in this trainers package, each designed to take between 1 1/2 to 2 hours. This curriculum is offered online and accompanied by videos that will share real-life stories from domestic violence survivors. Educational materials provided by domestic violence advocates and religious resources provided by Christian faith communities. All is combined to educate and invite dialogue about the impact of domestic violence and trauma in the Christian community.

Topics include:

• Self Care
• Definitions of Domestic Violence
• Dynamics of Power and Control
• Impact of Violence on Children
• Parenting and Domestic Violence
• Safety Planning
• Responding to Domestic Violence within the Christian Faith
• Recommendations for Working with Victims and Perpetrators
• The Community of Faith as a Resource.
• Links Between Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking
• Change and Accountability
• A Coordinated Community Response

Upon completion you will be prompted to take a quiz and fill out a course evaluation. By first completing the course, then you are eligible for the training materials and to be added to a network of certified trainers. Once you have completed, then you will receive a short questionnaire.  This will be followed by an opportunity to schedule time on the phone with Dr. Nancy Murphy to determine the best course of action for you.

What About the Men

This course is a resource to address domestic violence as it relates to men as perpetrators or victims, a concerned friend or family member, or just looking for self-improvement.

This material is a diving board to help propel you more deeply into the topic “What About the Men?”  Whether you are a professional looking for more resources to address domestic violence as it relates to men, a concerned friend or family member, or just looking for self-improvement, this course will be of help. We invite you to take a leap with us into this difficult topic, hoping for respectful engagement between us, you, and your fellow students via the reflective practices offered throughout the course and in our private Facebook group.

This is a difficult subject to address and sometimes not even safe to talk about. We have created pertinent material in an effort to address men’s issues with regard to domestic violence. This course will cover issues such as:

• Engaging our own stories of violence and abuse

• Men who have been abused in their childhood

• Men who have a history with violence both as victim and perpetrator

• Engaging healing change

• Resources for the journey

Men must learn to engage their own stories of shame and self-hatred in order to begin to create safe space for love and intimacy to grow. Domestic violence is as much a men’s issue as women’s, if not more so. It’s time for men to thoughtfully engage the complex issues of domestic violence.  As men, we must grow in self-awareness and take responsibility for who we have been, who we are, and who we are becoming.

This course will not answer all your questions, but will provide you with resources to take you further in reflection and conversation. Upon completion you will be prompted to take a quiz and fill out a course evaluation.