Event Details

This multi-session training series focuses on strengthening support for survivors’ mental health and well-being within domestic violence programs and shelters. Advocates bring deep compassion, skill, and insight to their work with survivors; this series builds on those strengths to enhance confidence and capacity in responding to mental health needs.

Many advocates are navigating increasing mental health concerns among survivors while also balancing the emotional demands of this work. This series offers a space to deepen understanding, strengthen practical skills, and promote both survivor and advocate well-being through empathy, reflection, and connection.

Together, we will explore the intersections of domestic violence and mental health, and the impacts on everyone involved. Advocates will gain tools for having safe conversations about mental health, fostering emotional safety, expanding support networks, responding effectively in stressful situations, and connecting survivors with mental health resources (if/when available and desired by a survivor). The series also introduces simple mind-body-spirit techniques for grounding and sustaining well-being. Through interactive scenarios and discussions, advocates will enhance their ability to respond with compassion, communicate effectively, and support the survivor in front of them while caring for themselves and one another along the way.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this training series, advocates will be able to:

●      Recognize the impacts of domestic violence on mental health and well-being for both survivors and advocates.

●      Strengthen self-awareness, reflection, and emotional safety as foundations for trauma-informed support.

●      Apply practical tools for safe, empathetic conversations about mental health and for connecting survivors to supportive resources.

 

Session 2: Reclaiming Power (2 hours)

●      Participants will learn to prepare for and offer support in collaboration with mental health and community resources. This session focuses on practicing safe conversations, safety planning, connecting survivors to any desired resources, and offering support to help them stay connected.

●      Key Resources and Tools:

○       Tipsheet: Locating Mental Health Support Resources

○       Tipsheet: Collaborating with Mental Health Support Resources

○       Mental Health Coercion Palm Card for Advocates

○       Tipsheet series: Increasing Access to Mental Health or Substance Use Resources: Preparation, Planning, and Staying Connected

○       Guide: Do I Want to See a Therapist? A Reflection Tool for Survivors Seeking Mental Health Support

Date & Time

Event Date(s): 04/28/2026 - 04/28/2026

Event Time(s): 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Credits: 2 Hours

Contact Person

Jennifer Lyon - Director of Training and Capacity Building jlyon@gcadv.org

Location

VIRTUAL VIA Zoom

Speaker Information

Amanda Lyon, LCSW (she/they) is the Training and Technical Assistance Manager at the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health. With a deep commitment to empowering survivors and their families, Amanda develops comprehensive training and technical resources tailored for behavioral health providers, domestic violence and sexual assault programs, hotlines, and coalitions. Their work aims to increase resource accessibility and effectiveness, ensuring survivors receive the support they need on their journey toward healing and empowerment. Amanda has a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. This commitment was strengthened through their prior role as a Rural Grant Specialist at the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, where they supported the development of integrated services for Alaska Native survivors of domestic violence and sexual assaults. Amanda’s holistic approach to healing extends to her 17 years of expertise as a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist and Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist, integrating trauma-informed principles, mindfulness, and compassion-based practices. In this role, they have served as the Ayurvedic Director for programs in California, Wisconsin, and Alaska, where they developed curriculum, trained practitioners, and supervised interns.