PEER SUPPORT GROUPS

The Network’s peer support groups create opportunities for staff at gender-based violence programs to connect with other providers to share experiences, offer mutual and meaningful support, and exchange resources in a safe and non-judgmental space. These groups foster a culture of community and professional self-awareness that can help individuals address the challenges of working in the gender-based violence space, such as vicarious trauma and burnout.

Peer support groups are available to our members and IDHS-funded partner agencies with a current focus on Managers and Supervisors, Staff Who Are Survivors Themselves, BIPOC Staff, and LGBTQIA+ Staff. If you would like to join a peer support group, please complete this form.

Group Descriptions

Managers and Supervisors:
This peer support group aims to provide a safe space for managers and supervisors to share the experiences and challenges they face when supporting their staff and running their program. Facilitated by a social worker with 10+ years of middle management experience in the child welfare and gender-based violence field, this group will foster mutually support connections and offer strategies for combating vicarious trauma.

Staff Who Are Survivors Themselves:
Facilitated by a clinical social worker with a background in addressing self-care, compassion fatigue, and professional burn out, this peer support group creates a safe space for gender-based violence advocates and staff who are also survivors of violence themselves. This group aims to support advocates with practical resources strategies for self-care while exploring the challenges that arise professionally and personally as advocates who are survivors.

BIPOC Staff:
Facilitated by a bilingual trauma therapist with extensive experience working with survivors of gender-based violence, this group encourages BIPOC gender-based violence advocates and staff to share their experiences with clients, managing vicarious trauma, and working in predominantly white spaces. Members can share stories, offer tools and resources, and foster connections with other BIPOC professionals in the field.

LGBTQIA+ Staff:
This group offers welcoming and confidential space advocates and staff to share their personal and professional experiences of identifying as LGBTQIA+ while working in this field and today’s climate. The group aims to foster a sense of community, offering support and encouragement for successes and challenges alike. The group is facilitated by an LGBTQIA+ identifying anti-violence activist and sexual violence survivor advocate.