Course Description
Domestic and sexual violence and mental ill-health are two issues that often co-exist. For many professionals, addressing both is challenging as routes into mental health services seem blocked. Meeting the mental health needs of domestic and sexual survivors is a three day, OCN London accredited course will provide learners with the opportunity to fully understand the links between experiences of violence, abuse and mental ill-health and consider ways to improve how they work with this group of survivors. The course from a trauma-informed perspective in understanding how violence and abuse impacts on mental wellbeing, and in developing ways of working with women affected by these issues. There will be ample opportunity for learners to reflect on their own practice and to learn from others on the course.
Meeting the mental health needs of domestic and sexual survivors involves five pieces of coursework, four of which are to be completed in the learner’s own time. Learners will have two months to finish all the coursework and it should take no more than six hours in total. Learners will be fully supported to complete each assignment.
Key learning objectives
- Help you to develop an in-depth understanding of how domestic and sexual abuse impacts on survivors’ mental health, including of how trauma affects the brain.
- Become more confident in talking to survivors about experiences of mental ill-health.
- Better understand how risk relating to domestic and sexual abuse and mental ill-health intersect.
- Help you to navigate the mental health system, from understanding how mental health problems are diagnosed to what services are available.
- Gain skills in supporting survivors to develop their own tools to manage common trauma responses such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The course equates to 5 CPD points.
Who should attend
The course is relevant for any practitioner whose work brings them into contact with survivors of domestic and sexual violence, who may also be affected by mental ill-health. You must work in London.
We run this course each year in Autumn and take applications or we can deliver this course as an in-house booking for your team.
Please email training@avaproject.org.uk to begin a conversation about this course.
