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The Trauma Responsive Advocate

Building a trauma-responsive field, one advocate at a time

The Trauma-Responsive Advocate is a five-week training and certification program for victim advocates who support individuals and communities impacted by harm. This program strengthens the advocate’s capacity to recognize the effects of trauma, respond in ways that center dignity and autonomy, and build practices that reduce secondary trauma and sustain long-term engagement in the work. Each week focuses on a different facet of trauma-responsive care, with a blend of live online sessions, readings, and self-guided reflection. Upon completion, participants receive their Trauma-Responsive Advocate Certification.

Participants also have the opportunity to join a learning community of likeminded peers from other parts of the country, building solidarity and support that goes beyond the final session.

The next course will be offered in late spring 2026. Fill out this form to be contacted when registration opens.

Cost: $400/person during early registration; $500/person during general registration. Discounts available for groups of 5+.

“This training gave me ideas on how to understand what a victim/survivor might be thinking after an incident and what I can do to help empower them and give them their sense of safety back.”

“I am forever grateful for having had the opportunity to take this course and gain knowledge that I will be able to use as I move forward in my career.”

“Shifting my focus to starting from an assumption that the victim’s response is coming from a place of trauma will help me to be a much stronger advocate.”

“I am now more aware of the myriad of responses someone can have to trauma. This information will help me be more mindful of the ways I can remove barriers for clients.” 

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

  1. Recognize how trauma can shape behavior, communication, memory, and decision-making without pathologizing or assuming a universal trauma response.

  2. Understand intergenerational and historical trauma and how legacies of harm, oppression, and cultural survival shape survivors’ experiences, coping strategies, and access to support.

  3. Apply trauma-responsive communication skills that center autonomy, dignity, cultural context, and the survivor’s own meaning-making.

  4. Assess and adapt advocacy practices to reduce harm, increase emotional safety, and support survivor agency throughout legal and non-legal processes.

  5. Identify signs and sources of secondary trauma and burnout in themselves and within systems, and implement practices that support sustainability and collective care.

  6. Integrate a justice-oriented lens into victim support, understanding how systems can both compound and repair harm, and how advocates can work toward responses that honor dignity.

  7. Cultivate a practice of presence rooted in grounding, listening, and relational trust.

RESOURCE LIST

We’ve compiled a list of national organizations that provide information, support, and other services for victims, survivors, and their loved ones.

Download Resources

Questions?

Contact Robyn Sordelett, Survivor Center Director

Email Robyn