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Measures of Victim Empowerment Related to Safety: Understanding Trauma Through Our Clients' Eyes
Length: 1.25 Hours
Sagesse is a bold organization working towards a future where all Canadians live free of domestic violence through supporting individuals impacted by domestic violence to have healthy relationships and heal from past traumas. When working in and addressing domestic violence and experiences of trauma, safety is often held as the primary goal and primary achievement to be worked towards. However, at Sagesse, we recognize that achievements of safety are most likely not in the control of the person experiencing violence, and the emphasis that we, as service providers, put on safety can, and likely does, have long term negative impacts on an individual’s ability to actually heal from past traumas. This presentation will walk through how Sagesse uses the values, context and impact of the Measures of Victim Empowerment Related to Safety evaluation tool to support our clients to build greater understanding of the impacts of trauma on their lives and the path through that to greater healthiness. Through interactive activities and dynamic discussion we will explore how our singular focus on safety actually puts our clients into more trauma, but that the shift of moving people to a more complex understanding of their experiences and capacity around safety, the trade-offs that come with safety, and their internal ability to engage in empowerment around safety we build our clients capacity to move through their traumatic experiences and feel more in charge of their lives.
Objectives:
- Describe the negative impact of focusing on safety for clients healing from trauma.
- Identify the impact of trade-offs on individuals impacted by domestic violence.
- Identify the clinical considerations of individuals engaged with safety related empowerment
Orginially recorded at IVAT's 18th Hawai'i International Virtual Summit
Carrie McManus, Sagesse Domestic Violence Prevention Society
Carrie McManus breaks down barriers and embraces change as the Director of Innovation and Programs at Sagesse. Her natural curiosity and passion for eradicating domestic violence allow her to ask “what if” when developing initiatives that change long-standing beliefs and empower individuals, organizations and communities to disrupt the structure of domestic violence. Through Carrie’s leadership, Sagesse has grown beyond its grassroots foundation. She has supported the development of new programs and initiatives that take a closer look at the unique needs of rural and remote survivors of domestic violence and build the capacity of friends and family to recognize and respond to individuals experiencing domestic violence in their communities. In addition to creating programs to meet diverse needs, Carrie has created a contemporary way of thinking about revolutionizing the way Sagesse and other organizations approach program design, which has helped secure Sagesse as a well-respected domestic violence agency across Alberta and around the world.
