Colorado Victim Rights Amendment
Who is this training for?  Those working with victims will improve their ability to provide services by knowing the Victim Rights Amendment.  Individuals in law enforcement, prosecution, probation, and corrections have legal responsibilities under the Victim Rights Act and will benefit from this training. Non-system organizations play an equally important role in assisting victims to obtain their rights.

What is covered?  The citizens of Colorado approved the VRA to ensure that victims have rights within the criminal justice system.  Since the VRA was substantially changed as of July 1, 2006, it is essential that everyone who works with victims, in any capacity, be current on all aspects of the revised Colorado law.  This training provides a general overview of the amendment, specifically addressing many of the critical changes.

Expected Outcomes:  Participants will recognize provisions of the amendment and how to assist victims in obtaining their rights.  Participants will also be able to identify and answer these questions:  Is the crime covered by the VRA? Is this a relevant critical stage covered by the VRA? What are my responsibilities under the VRA? What are the consequences for not providing a victim their rights?

Time needed for Training:  This training can be tailored for one and one-half or two hours of training time.

Cultural Considerations in Victim Assistance
Who is this training for?  For participants to get the most value from this experience, COVA recommends that the class size should be a minimum of 12 people.  The class, and the learning, is enriched when the audience is diverse ("diverse" by any definition, including profession, age, race, or religion).

What is covered?  How do our individual life experiences influence our interactions with people who are different from us? This training will explore the similarities and differences between individuals and cultures as well as explain how they influence our work.  The training will look at traditional and nontraditional aspects of culture, including language, lifestyle, and race as well as individual stereotypes, prejudice, and biases.

Expected Outcomes:  At the conclusion of the training, participants will be able to recognize and acknowledge personal biases, assess the impact of personal biases on professional interactions, and appraise and react to situations in relation to cultural considerations.

Time needed for Training:  The training can be done in two, three, or four-hour segments.

Understanding Vicarious Trauma: Why Do I Feel so Bad?
Who is this training for? The victim service provider, law enforcement officer, district attorney, or others may vicariously experience the pain, hurt, fear, frustration, and trauma of those they are helping.  Those who care about people are at a higher risk to experience vicarious trauma.  With time, repeated exposure, and functioning out of the range of what is "normal," those supporting victims of crime can begin to experience the symptoms of vicarious trauma.

What is covered? Vicarious trauma is a natural behavior and feeling, which results from knowing about a traumatic event experienced by another person. This training identifies the symptoms and results of trauma and vicarious trauma, and assists each participant to evaluate their current level of coping ability, and explores new tools to reduce the impact and incidence of vicarious trauma.  Vicarious trauma isn't a question of "If" but rather "When."

Expected Outcomes:  Participants will recognize what vicarious trauma is. They will identify ways both individuals and organizations can respond.

Time needed for Training: This training takes two full hours.

Legal Privilege for Victim Advocates
Who is this training for?  Victim advocates (both system and non-system based) benefit from learning about legal privilege.

What is covered?  Privileged communication between victims and advocates - what is it, who has it, when is it applicable, and what are it's limitations?  These basic questions indicate the complexities commonly found in the world of privileged communication between victim advocates and crime victims.  This training will shed light on this often complex and confusing issue. It will clarify the difference between confidentiality and privilege, discuss the use of waivers and releases, and outline the responsibilities of the advocates and their agencies.

Expected Outcomes:  Participants will receive an overview of relevant statutes and court decisions, and how they apply to the victim/victim advocate relationship.  When an advocate is with a victim of crime, they will be able to demonstrate the practical application of legal privilege.

Time needed for Training:  The length of time needed for this training is two hours.