We Are the Movement: 2026 WSCADVSA Conference

According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS), more than one-half (53.6%) of the Black women surveyed experienced sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking that was committed by an intimate partner during their lifetimes. Black women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) face unique challenges, often shaped by the intersecting identities of ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and more. IPV within this community also occurs within a "web of trauma," which includes historical trauma, family violence, structural violence, institutional violence, cultural violence, and community violence. Black survivors also disproportionately experience reproductive coercion, non-fatal strangulation, and domestic homicide, with many also coping with IPV-related PTSD and depression.

To address these complex issues, Dr. West and Ms. Doris O’Neal developed the 4-part National Resource Center on Domestic Violence’s Technical Assistance Guidance Series: Serving Black Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (see https://drcarolynwest.com/publications/).

Based on these guides, this interactive presentation will give participants the tools and practical strategies to identify, reach, and effectively serve Black women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) by providing survivor-centered, culturally-responsive, trauma-informed, strengths-based care. Additionally, presenters will explore effective strategies for addressing the unique challenges Black survivors face when navigating systems of support.

Technology is increasingly part of the safety concerns survivors bring to advocates, from phones, social media, location tracking, and hidden devices to online harassment, impersonation, and rapidly changing AI tools. This practical workshop will explore how technology is being used to monitor, intimidate, exploit, and harm survivors, while giving advocates concrete strategies for responding. We’ll look at safer communication, digital trails, documentation, tracking concerns, accessible tools advocates can use with survivors, and the role agencies play in making sure staff have the training and resources they need.

Many people who are incarcerated have experienced domestic violence or sexual assault prior to system involvement. This training will provide context for how survivors become criminalized, explore advocacy approaches across different court systems, and share strategies for building effective relationships with defense attorneys and therapeutic courts. Participants will also examine organizational barriers that may limit support for survivor-defendants and identify opportunities for more inclusive legal advocacy. 

This workshop will be presented in Spanish with limited English interpretation available.

Arte, Sanación y Esperanza: Construyendo una Comunidad Más Allá de la Violencia 
Grupo de Apoyo para Mujeres Rurales de YWCA WW
Este taller explora cómo la creatividad y el arte pueden apoyar a las sobrevivientes de violencia doméstica y agresión sexual en su camino hacia la sanación, la conexión y el fortalecimiento personal.

Guiadas por el personal y Promotoras de YWCA, los participantes tendrán la oportunidad de crear arte en un espacio de apoyo, utilizando la expresión artística como una forma de:

• Fomentar la conexión, el sentido de pertenencia y la expresión personal
• Crear un espacio seguro y confidencial para la sanación
• Honrar las experiencias, fortalezas y resiliencia de cada sobreviviente
• Apoyar a las sobrevivientes mientras imaginan y construyen una nueva vida libre de violencia

Juntas, crearemos obras de arte que reflejen el espíritu de pertenencia y que recuerden a quienes con demasiada frecuencia no son vistas o escuchadas que importan, que sus voces importan y que pertenecen a nuestra comunidad. Este es un camino hacia la construcción de una vida libre de violencia, basada en la esperanza, la conexión y la comunidad. La esperanza es comunidad. Juntas somos más fuertes.

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Art, Healing & Hope: Building Community Beyond Violence
YWCA WW Rural Women’s Support Group
This workshop explores how creativity and art can support survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault on their journey toward healing, connection, and empowerment.

Guided by YWCA staff and Promotoras, participants engage in a supportive group experience where creating art becomes a pathway to:

• Foster connection, belonging, and self-expression

• Create a safe and confidential space for healing

• Honor each survivor’s experiences, strengths, and resilience

• Support survivors as they envision and build a new life beyond violence

Together, we will create artwork that reflects the spirit of belonging and reminds those who are too often unseen or unheard that they matter, their voices matter, and they belong. This is a journey toward building a life without violence—one grounded in hope, connection, and community. Hope is community. Together, we are stronger.

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in WA State is an interactive session designed to increase attendees understanding of FGM/C in Washington state, address common myths and misconceptions, and strengthen participants’ ability to support prevention and survivor-centered responses. Through storytelling, reflection, and discussion, participants will develop an understanding of the cultural and social drivers of FGM/C, its health consequences, and the US and global context with a focus on Washington State’s prevention and response efforts. The workshop encourages participants to identify meaningful actions they can take within their professional and community roles. By the end of the session, participants will be better equipped to promote awareness, respond with compassion, and connect survivors to available resources and referral pathways.

This workshop will provide an overview of the new statewide Tele Forensic Program. Participants will learn about the program's structure and services, explore the types of support available, and gain an understanding of the advocate's role within the Tele Forensic model. 

Advocates are carrying tremendous pressure as they support survivors while navigating increasingly strained systems that can push emotional and professional capacity to its limits. This interactive session creates space to acknowledge those challenges, examine the evolving role of advocacy, and explore how cross-sector partnerships, particularly with home visiting programs, can strengthen support systems for families.

Participants will engage in meaningful discussion, share strategies for collaboration, and practice grounding techniques that help sustain well-being and reduce the risk of burnout. Attendees will leave with practical tools, collective wisdom, and a renewed sense of connection to themselves, their work, and the families they serve.

Supporting immigrant survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault requires an understanding of how immigration status, language, race, gender identity, disability, income, and geographic location shape both survivors' experiences and their access to safety and support. This workshop explores the unique barriers immigrant survivors face and how advocates can provide culturally responsive, survivor-centered services that recognize the impact of these intersecting identities. Through real-life scenarios and interactive discussion, participants will strengthen their understanding of trauma-informed advocacy, identify common challenges, and develop practical strategies for supporting immigrant survivors in navigating systems, accessing resources, and making informed decisions about their safety and well-being.

This training equips non-clinicians with practical skills to recognize and respond to common mental health challenges experienced by survivors. Participants will learn how trauma can affect emotional well-being, how to provide compassionate, trauma-informed support, and when and how to connect individuals with professional resources. The session emphasizes building confidence in supportive conversations while maintaining appropriate boundaries and fostering resilience, healing, and hope.

Housing advocacy plays a vital role in helping survivors achieve safety and long-term stability. This workshop will focus on integrating trauma-informed, survivor-driven advocacy practices throughout the housing search process, ensuring survivors' choices, strengths, and goals remain at the center of every step. Participants will explore common barriers survivors face when accessing housing, effective strategies for navigating those challenges, and best practices for building collaborative partnerships with landlords. The session will also provide an overview of survivor tenant rights and practical advocacy tools to help survivors secure and maintain safe, stable housing. 

This session will provide an overview of domestic violence and take a deeper dive into understanding on coercive control, along with strategies to assess for coercive control as an act of domestic violence and concrete action plans for survivors navigating the courts.

• Examine common myths and facts about commercial sexual exploitation and the definitions that shape our responses.
• Explore exploitation across generations, including the experiences of youth, young adults, and adults.
• Consider how adultification, racial bias, grooming, and responses to missing Black youth affect prevention and intervention.
• Learn from the expertise of survivors/experiencers, advocates, families, and communities.
• Identify opportunities for community engagement, healing, and approaches beyond the current service paradigm.

How we show up is the work. Knowledge and interventions matter, but the relationship you build with surviors is the strongest predictor of healing. In this workshop, we'll cover:

• How to support someone who has experienced domestic violence without taking over, causing more harm, or making them feel more alone.
• How to help parents protect their children's childhoods — recognizing that a child's behavior is communication of a need, not necessarily a replay of what an abusive parent modeled, and that kids need to be able to just be kids.
• What Indigenous cultures worldwide can teach us about raising healthy kids and building strong families and exploring more effective ways of relating that build safety, dignity, connection, and resilience. 
• How to take care of your own nervous system so you can stay present and effective without burning out.

You'll leave with a deeper understanding of how relationship drives healing, a broader lens for supporting families, real tools for helping kids stay kids, and ways to sustain yourself in this work.

Many advocates feel hesitant to offer guidance when they are still navigating their own financial journeys. In this workshop, we will explore our personal money belief systems to build the self-awareness needed to lead with empathy and clarity. By understanding our own relationship with money, we can more confidently facilitate difficult financial conversations with survivors, even while navigating our own challenges.

We know that trauma impacts the clients we serve, but how does witnessing, helping with, or hearing about trauma day after day affect you personally and professionally? What is its impact on the organizations we work in?

Join this workshop to understand the “occupational hazards” of victim advocacy, and to identify what you can do to minimize the risk to yourself and your organization.

Mandated reporting has caused real harm to survivors — and a lot of that harm comes from over-reporting. This training provides context around challenges and problems within our current system that create harm for families seeking support and get practical about what domestic violence advocates are actually required to report (spoiler: it's less than you think). Liz and Trina will walk through how to recognize what falls outside your scope, how to safety plan effectively, and how to show up for survivors in the rare moments when a report is truly required. Come ready to question assumptions and leave with clearer boundaries and more confidence in a survivor-first approach.

This training equips non-clinicians with practical skills to recognize and respond to common mental health challenges experienced by survivors. Participants will learn how trauma can affect emotional well-being, how to provide compassionate, trauma-informed support, and when and how to connect individuals with professional resources. The session emphasizes building confidence in supportive conversations while maintaining appropriate boundaries and fostering resilience, healing, and hope.