Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma

03/30/2026

Children exposed to domestic violence are not “just witnesses.”

Chronic fear, instability, and disrupted attachment can affect emotional regulation, development, and a child’s sense of safety — even without physical harm.

Trauma-informed support recognizes children as survivors and focuses on safety, stability, and relational healing.

Children deserve protection, understanding, and care.

03/24/2026

ICE has been deployed to U.S. airports across the country. Assess your risk and review your rights before traveling.

President Donald Trump has ordered federal immigration agents to various U.S. airports amid a partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security. Consider the following...

03/23/2026

Indigenous trauma must be understood in the context of historical and ongoing colonization, displacement, and loss of land, language, and culture.

These collective experiences impact mental health across generations. Healing is not only individual — it lives in community, cultural restoration, identity, and reconnection to traditional sources of strength.

Trauma-informed care listens to history and honors resilience.

03/16/2026

Trauma in Latino communities is often shaped by migration stress, family separation, systemic barriers, and cultural expectations around strength and endurance.

Pain is frequently carried quietly — not because it isn’t real, but because survival, family unity, and resilience are prioritized. Trauma-informed care honors cultural values while creating space for healing, expression, and support without pathologizing strength.

Healing can honor culture and emotional truth.

03/11/2026

🚨 FREE webinar–one week away!🚨

Join Wendy Murphy, JD, for a FREE webinar addressing the causal relationship between high rates of abuse against women and children, and women's inequality under the United States Constitution. Studies have long shown disparate treatment of women and children in their capacities as victims of violence and abuse. From bias against mothers in family court, to the disproportionate failure of police and prosecutors to file charges in cases where women and children are victimized, the data is clear that women and children suffer unequal treatment and systemic injustice in all legal contexts. Why this happens has been the focus of much attention from advocates, academics, and others, but rarely do conversations center around the status of women as second-class citizens, and how this manifests in different and worse treatment by all government officials, state and federal, in all branches of government—including the courts.

🗓️ Wednesday, March 18 | 1:00pm – 2:00pm PT
📍 Zoom
💲 FREE, CE/CLE purchase not included
🔗 Registration link in comments!

03/11/2026

It's not too late! You can still join the next session of the Stop the Silence® – Thriving After Child Sexual Abuse Book Study on March 12. Registration details in original post.

Join us for the next session of the Stop the Silence® – Thriving After Child Sexual Abuse Book Study on March 12. This guided series brings together survivors, advocates, and professionals to explore healing, resilience, and prevention in a supportive, trauma-informed space.

You can still join the series and be part of the discussion.

Learn more here:
tinyurl.com/march12stsbookstudy

03/10/2026

We’re preparing to launch Cohort 10 of the Post-Graduate Certificate in Child Trauma & Protection this May!

If you are a(n):
✔ Educator
✔ Mental health professional
✔ Social worker
✔ Healthcare provider
✔ Advocate for children

This online program is designed to deepen your understanding of child trauma and strengthen your ability to respond with knowledge, confidence, and compassion.

📅 Target Start: Early May
📌 RSVP link in comments!

Let’s continue building safer spaces for children together. 💙

03/04/2026

Join Wendy Murphy, JD for an upcoming webinar addressing the causal relationship between high rates of abuse against women and children, and women's inequality under the United States Constitution. Studies have long shown disparate treatment of women and children in their capacities as victims of violence and abuse. From bias against mothers in family court, to the disproportionate failure of police and prosecutors to file charges in cases where women and children are victimized, the data is clear that women and children suffer unequal treatment and systemic injustice in all legal contexts. Why this happens has been the focus of much attention from advocates, academics, and others, but rarely do conversations center around the status of women as second-class citizens, and how this manifests in different and worse treatment by all government officials, state and federal, in all branches of government—including the courts.

🗓️ Wednesday, March 18 | 1:00pm – 2:00pm PT
📍 Zoom
💲 FREE

Registration link in comments!

03/03/2026

IVAT staff are happy in Honolulu as the 23rd Hawai'i Summit begins! With Affiliated Training on Sunday, and the first full day on Monday, staff and volunteers have had a great time welcoming the majority of our 1,200+ registrants! We are looking forward to our Keynote Panels today.

💭 What's been your favorite part of the Summit so far?

02/26/2026

📢Join the Stop the Silence Book Study starting March 5th!

In partnership with The Resilience Learning Community (Andi Fetzner, LPC/PsyD) and Dr. Pamela J Pine, we invite you to join the Stop the Silence Book Study — a powerful learning experience for educators, clinicians, advocates, and community leaders committed to protecting children and strengthening trauma-informed prevention.

✨See original post for more details and registration link

We’re coming together to have the conversations that matter.

In partnership between The Resilience Learning Community and with Dr. Pamela Pine and Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma, we invite you to join the Stop the Silence Book Study — a powerful learning experience for educators, clinicians, advocates, and community leaders committed to protecting children and strengthening trauma-informed prevention.

📘 Begins: March 5th
🗓 Format: One session per week for six weeks
💲 Investment: $60 for the full series
🌍 Open to participants worldwide

This is more than a book study.
It’s a guided space to deepen understanding, build shared language, and move from awareness to action in preventing child abuse.

If you work with children, families, or communities — this conversation belongs to you.

👉 Sign up at:
🔗 tinyurl.com/communitybookstudy

Let’s learn.
Let’s lead.
Let’s break the silence — together.

02/26/2026

Only 3 DAYS until the 23rd Hawai'i Summit kicks off with Affiliated Training — register today to lock in your registration rate! As you build your agenda from over 100 breakout sessions, make sure to register for a Keynote Panel (E Sessions)!

👉 Keynote Panel - Session E11
Exploring the Intersection of Housing, Mental Health, and Service Among Military and Veteran Populations
🎤 Panelists: Deme Hill, Sarah Skelton, James Solano

👉Keynote Panel - Session E12
Collaborative Approaches to Threat Assessment and Intervention
🎤Panelists: Beverly Baligad, Tom Hirsbrunner, Deborah Spencer-Chun

👉Keynote Panel - Session E13
Transforming LGBTQ+ Care Through Connection and Belonging
🎤Panelists: Kunane Dreier, Kiki Rosario, Nicole Ryan

🔗 Pick from 13 Keynote Panels across topics. Registration link in comments!

02/24/2026

Invest in your professional growth and meet licensure requirements while gaining practical tools to support healing across the lifespan. At the 23rd Hawaiʻi Summit, attendees can earn up to 17.5 Continuing Education (CE) credits while learning from leading experts in trauma-informed care, research, and practice. Choose from a wide range of breakout sessions and complete your licensure renewal requirements in one place! Continuing Education credits are not included in the cost of Summit registration, but can be added for just $100 (less than $6 per CE credit)!