A 3 hour workshop for practitioners in family and domestic violence services

Victim survivors do not simply endure violence; they resist it, in ways big and small, seen and unseen. This workshop invites practitioners to shift their lens from why didn’t she leave to how has she been resisting all along, grounding practice in the principles of response-based work.

Participants will explore how resistance can look like anything from openly challenging a person using violence to quiet, private acts of defiance that go unnoticed by everyone but the victim survivor themselves. The workshop unpacks the central role of social responses, from family and friends, police, courts, child protection and service providers, in shaping a victim survivor’s recovery, safety and willingness to seek help again, and examines the evidence that positive responses build cooperation and resilience while negative ones entrench silence and self-blame.

At the heart of the session is a practical skill, learning to map the pattern of a person’s use of violence alongside the pattern of a victim survivor’s resistance to it, so responsibility stays squarely with the person using violence. Participants will also grapple with the nuance in honouring resistance, recognising strength and capacity without romanticising acts that may increase risk, and explore concrete, relationship-level practices for upholding victim survivor dignity, from the language practitioners use to how they listen and reflect back a mother’s parenting efforts or a child’s attempts to keep themselves and others safe.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be equipped to see, name and build on victim survivors’ existing strategies of resistance, making practice more accurate, more respectful, and more effective.

Duration: 3 hours

Audience: Practitioners working in specialist family and domestic violence services