“Sanctuary”
A Domestic Violence Response Initiative
An Outreach Program of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office of Victim-Witness Advocacy
What is “Sanctuary”?
Sanctuary is an intensive, interactive 100-hour training program designed to equip community residents to provide crisis intervention and outreach services to domestic violence related assault, sexual assault, child abuse, stalking, property crime victims, as well as survivors of domestic violence-related homicide victims. The course is presented in two formats: basic and advanced. Upon completion of both the basic and advance courses, volunteers who are members of local churches, mosques, synagogues, municipal police departments and their response teams, social service and emergency agencies, fraternal organizations, and other allied organizations located in greater Essex County will be able to provide immediate, culturally sensitive outreach to domestic violence victims-survivors and their families within a 24-72 hour period.
Course Topics Include:
BASIC COURSE TOPICS: the nature of catastrophe, assisting underserved victim populations (part I), crisis intervention and crisis counseling, the spiritual dimension of trauma, cultural aspects of criminal victimization, crime victim/legal advocacy, effective communication skills and supportive services, safety planning and threat assessment (part I), ethics and professionalism, value clarification, the effects of trauma on an individual’s developmental stages, the intersection of substance abuse, mental health, and victimization, trauma assessment, local area resources and networks, and the criminal and family court processes.
ADVANCED COURSE TOPICS: emerging trends in crime victim advocacy, trauma informed care, trauma bonding, captivity theory, and the science of attraction, the politics of power in intimate relationships, ritualistic abuse, primary aggressor, the topology of battering behavior, social aggression and the bystander effect, the use of technology as a means to stalk and terrorize, intimate partner violence-related workplace violence, working with the media, assisting underserved victim populations (part II), safety planning and threat assessment (part II) and vicarious trauma, spirituality and self-care.
For More Information:
The basic and advance course (100 hours combined) will begin in February 6, 2024. Most classes will meet virtually once per week on Tuesday evenings from 6:00pm-9:00pm (in-person classes will be held intermittently, depending on the course topic). This Course is Offered Free of Charge Application packets are available online at www.njecpo.org (click on the “news” tab after January 5, 2024). Please return the application packet with all necessary signatures and notary to EssexVW@njecpo.org by January 30, 2024. For more information, please call 973.621.4689 during normal business hours or visit our office website at www.njecpo.org.
