Oct. 21-22 on Zoom
During National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October the Eastern PA Conference Domestic Violence Committee will explore the physical, emotional and social impacts of trauma related to violence, primarily domestic and intimate-partner violence.
The October 21-22 training event on Zoom—Friday, 7-9 PM, and Saturday, 9 AM -12:30 PM—will feature presentations, discussions and workshops led by resource experts, advocates, and survivors, plus the offering of an original poem inspired by and composed for the occasion.
Dr. Allie King, a researcher at Drexel University in Philadelphia, will keynote our event. She is a family therapist at the Center for Family Intervention Science (CFIS) at Drexel University. Dr. King received her PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy from Virginia Tech. She uses therapeutic interventions to help children recover from experiences of and exposure to domestic violence.
A “Voices of Survivors” panel discussion will allow survivors to share their experiences and learnings about overcoming trauma from domestic and intimate-partner violence. A second panel discussion of experts will offer insights from those who serve and treat survivors of violence who experience related trauma.
Poet Fay Warner, a member of Grace UMC in Philadelphia, who preaches and performs spoken word frequently in church settings, will compose and recite verses to reflect the focus and theme of the event.
Workshops will explore trauma from domestic violence that is experienced by children, youth, people with disabilities, survivors of disasters, residents of violence-prone communities, and families of military veterans and emergency services personnel suffering with PTSD. Such trauma can be seen and felt in physical, emotional and social dimensions of anyone’s life, reflecting the event’s title: “Body and Soul.”
Trauma can be both a cause and a consequence of domestic violence for victims and survivors of all ages, in many situations, who face grave challenges. It is an emotional response to a terrible, often life-threatening event—a response that may begin with shock or denial but may eventually lead to unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships and physical symptoms like headaches or nausea. (Adapted from an American Psychological Association definition.)
“We have sponsored DV learning events annually that focused on women, men, children and families, and last year, marginalized populations,” said the Rev. Jacqueline Hines, committee co-chairwoman. “But this time we will look more deeply and broadly into the psychosocial causes and impacts of violence that begins in familial or familiar relationships but then often spills out into society. Every church should have a ministry of healing and a message of hope to respond to this crisis.
Indeed, the Rev. Neelly Hicks, who will moderate the experts panel discussion, works with congregations to provide trauma-informed, laity-led community care groups that can address violence and other health and social concerns. A UM Deacon in Nashville, Tenn., she is a global communications professional who has developed media resources to improve living conditions for people around the world.
The event registration fee is $10. Continuing Education credits (CEUs) will be available. Learn more about the workshop topics, presenters and facilitators through these links:
Several other EPA ministry groups are partnering with the Domestic Violence Committee to cosponsor this event: the Connectional Ministries Office, the Disabilities Committee, United Methodist Men, the Commission on Status & Role of Women (COSROW) and the Global Ministries Team.