
TRAINING & CERTIFICATION
Save the Date!
The Spring 2023 NCVAN Victim Service Practitioner Certification Academy is back!
Become certified as a North Carolina Victim Service Practitioner!
Part One (virtual): March 21st - 23rd.
Part Two (in-person in Raleigh, NC): March 27th - 31st.
Participants will attend both virtual and in-person sessions.
The NCVAN Victim Service Practitioner Certification Academy provides practitioners who work with victims of crime with an opportunity to receive 40+ hours of substantial training to bolster their knowledge and experience while also gaining prestigious state and nationally recognized certification to reflect their growing expertise.
ABOUT:
NCVAN’s Academy is the official academy recognized in North Carolina, approved by the National Advocate Credentialing Program (NACP). The curriculum is also approved through the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA). The program continues to evolve in keeping with emerging best practices and research through ongoing guidance by a statewide committee of victim advocacy leaders and thorough, extensive participant feedback. After completing the pre-requisite NCVAN academy, graduates may seek provisional licensing and certification on the national level through NOVA/NACP.
CREDITS:
Through NCVAN’s partnership with the North Carolina Justice Academy, law enforcement officers who complete the training and certification may receive continuing education credits. The training also counts towards fulfillment with requirements set forth by the Council for Women (for DV/SA programs and Child Advocacy Centers). (Please do check for updates with the applicable entities.) **Participants must complete each module to become certified as a Victim Service Practitioner.
ANTICIPATED TOPICS:
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Advocating for Homicide Co-Victims
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Child Abuse
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Childhood Trauma
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Domestic Violence
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Victims and Technology
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District Attorney’s Role in Serving Victims
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Diversity & Inclusion
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Stalking, Sexual Assault and Statewide Sexual Assault Kit Updates
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Restorative Justice
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State & Federal Crime Victim's Rights
PAST PRESENTERS & RECENT FACULTY:
Attendees engage in real-time conversations with facilitators and faculty who are some of the best in the field in North Carolina. Recent faculty have included:
Dr. Rumay Alexander
UNC-Chapel Hill
Scott Bass
Director of Homicide Support Services - NCVAN Staff
Marie Brodie
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Pam Dickens
Disability and Victim Advocate
Amy Durall
Project Manager Intl. Association of Chief of Police
Saira Estrada
Director of Outreach - NCVAN Staff
Sabrina Garcia, M.A.
Retired Law Enforcement Specialist
Juliette Grimmett
Sexual Assault Victim Policy Strategist NC Dept of Justice
Kit Gruelle
Advocate & National Trainer on Domestic Violence
John Guard
Pitt County Sheriff’s Office
Kristian Hall
Sexual Assault Response Coordinator - NC National Guard
Kristen Howe
Director of Program Operations - NCVAN Staff
PARTICIPANTS:
NCVAN’s Academy participants represent a diverse group of allied professionals. Our students are law enforcement officers – military personnel – therapists – court officials – clergy – victim advocates – to name a few. In this way, the academy is a blended learning experience. Networking brings valuable connections that benefit participants well beyond the completion of the certification.
PREREQUISITES FOR ACCEPTANCE:
To become eligible for certification upon completion of the Academy, students are expected to have had -at least- 6 months of experience from a state-recognized program. Applicants who do not yet meet these requirements may be considered on a case-by-case basis for the training itself until the prerequisite has been met. For this reason, applicants are sometimes encouraged to apply to a future upcoming Academy to assure this requirement is met.
Not all community-based non-profit victim service agencies are state-recognized. To determine if a program is state-recognized in North Carolina, advocates from community-based, non-profit victim advocacy programs can click to consult the following program lists by county or region: domestic violence programs, sexual assault programs, child advocacy centers.
COST:
The certification fee which accompanies this 40+ hour training is $200.
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Serving Victims With Disabilities
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Criminal Justice Professionals/Law Enforcement Barriers
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Ethics in Serving Victims of Crime
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Serving Sexual Assault Victims in Military Settings
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History of the Victims Movement
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Serving Victims in Immigrant Communities
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Crisis Intervention, Victim Empathy
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Human Trafficking
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Serving Victims in the LGBTQ Community
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Victim's Compensation
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Utilizing NC-SAVAN
Christine Long
Executive Director, NC Human Trafficking Commission
Amily McCool
Domestic Violence Attorney Scharff Law Firm
Michael Parker
Former Prosecutor
JP Przewoznik
Assistant Professor in the UNC School of Social Work
Roxanne Rosenberg
Licensed Professional Counselor/Child Trauma Specialist
Shirley Rutledge
Victim Witness Coordinator - US Attorney's Office
Aurelia Sands-Bell
Medical University of South Carolina - Mass Violence
Michelle Scott
US Attorney’s Office - Eastern District
Liddie Shropshire and Kim Banko
NC Department of Public Safety
Jane Allen Wilson
NCVAN Director of Training
Angelica Reza Wind
Executive Director, Our Voice, Asheville
NCVAN Victim Service Practitioner Certification Academy
“The exceptional training provided through this week-long intensive program is essential to NCVAN’s goal of ensuring that victims of violent crime in North Carolina receive reliable, consistent services. Facilitators, presenters and participants alike share a guiding commitment to provide victims thorough and thoughtful person-centered support.”
– Jane Allen Wilson, Director of Training

March 2019 Academy Graduates