Domestic violence survivors face complex needs for support and safety, which require confidential and skilled interventions. So, in accordance with California Evidence Code §1037.1, La Casa de las Madres provides all staff and volunteers who will offer direct support to the women and children we serve with an advanced domestic violence advocate training. Our intensive training curriculum contains between 40 and 50 hours of instruction by speakers from many Bay Area community based organizations. The training enables La Casa to certify that survivors will have access to consistent, quality, and confidential support to meet their needs.
This experiential training provides a wealth of information and opportunities to explore its application in practice. Topics include:
- Dynamics of domestic violence
- Peer counseling and active listening skills
- Effects of violence on children
- La Casa’s diversity of programs
- Practicing self-care as an advocate
- Teen dating violence
- Safety planning and crisis line intervention
- Diversity and cultural competency
- and more. . . .
Prior to beginning volunteer work with survivors, individuals must complete all segments and shadow a La Casa advocate right after the training. We ask all new La Casa volunteer advocates to commit to at least four hours of service every week for a year.
Each time the training is held, we also strive to offer a couple of slots to professional development participants from our partner programs, whose staff often encounter the complexities of domestic violence.
The training is typically offered in February and September of each year. It takes place over four weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6-9:30pm, and on Saturdays from 9am-4:30pm. All sessions of the training are mandatory. For questions about the training, please .
If you are interested in opportunities to apply for a future training cycle, please email now to be added to our list to be notified of the start of our next application cycle. Please note that training spots are incredibly limited and we are not able to offer interviews to all those who apply.
Also, if you would like to get started with your commitment to volunteering before taking the training or you are interested in volunteering in non direct-service areas, La Casa offers several spots for volunteer opportunities that do not require prior graduation from the training. Find out more about available volunteer spots at
