Reflections of Resilience: Understanding the Impact of Survival Exposure on Advocacy Practice
Full-Day Interactive Training for GBV Advocates

The work you do is powerful AND heavy.

Every story, every call, every moment of connection leaves an imprint. One that can stay with us in ways we don’t always notice or fully understand in the moment.

Over time, these experiences can shape how we feel, respond, set boundaries, and make decisions in our work, often without us realizing it.

These reactions are common in advocacy work, but they are rarely talked about openly or explored as part of our professional practice. And in a field that often expects us to keep going, it can start to feel like we are meant to carry this work alone. We are not.

Reflections of Resilience is a highly interactive, full-day training designed specifically for advocates supporting survivors of gender-based violence. This training explores secondary trauma/stress as a form of countertransference, helping participants understand their responses to stress and survival exposure as meaningful signals that can be used to support their well-being and strengthen their advocacy practice.

Together, we will explore how these experiences can serve as a mirror for self-awareness and professional growth, offering insight into our values, strengths, vulnerabilities, and patterns in advocacy.

We will examine how core beliefs, lived experiences, and internal narratives can shape our automatic reactions, often influencing how we interpret situations, respond to survivors, and navigate boundaries without conscious awareness.

This training emphasizes experiential learning and real-world application, ensuring participants leave not only with insight, but with tools they can immediately integrate into their advocacy.Through hands-on exercises, guided reflection, discussion, and practical practices, participants will explore:

• How and why certain survival stories affect us more than others
• How trauma exposure shows up in the body, emotions, and decision-making
• How nervous system responses can shape advocacy interactionsand case decisions
• How increased self-awareness can strengthen survivor-centered, trauma-informed practice
• Practical strategies thatsupport sustainabilityand staying grounded without disconnecting from the work



Morning coffee and light refreshments will be provided, along with a full lunch.

CEUs Available