experience of providing emotional & practical support to survivors of domestic violence experience of safety planning and conducting risk assessments experience of planning and facilitating group work Skills The facilitator should possess skills that enable them to run the group effectively and ensure that collective and individual needs are met. The following specific facilitator skills are essential for a successful self-help group: excellent group management skills, including the ability to plan and facilitate group sessions effectively; excellent communication skills, including clear verbal delivery & positive body language; active listening skills, and the ability to respond empathetically to the group members; the ability to challenge participants, where relevant and necessary, in a but assertive manner; the ability to handle issues, such as anger, in the group; an understanding of professional boundaries and the facilitator’s limitations within the group, e.g. not getting personally involved with the women’s lives; not counseling; self-initiative to plan and execute their group facilitation responsibilities effectively; ability to apply anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities into all aspects of the support group; ability to evaluate the effectiveness of the support group and report on the outcomes; the ability to use basic information technology, such as searching the internet and word processing is preferred. Education, qualifications and training At this time there is no legislative educational credential or qualification requirement in Illinois for a facilitator to run domestic violence survivor support group. However, it is uniformly recommend {by licensed domestic violence agencies} that facilitators should successfully complete the 40-hour Domestic Violence Training at a certified training site and have a good combination of relevant experience and knowledge. It is further recommended that the trained facilitator of a domestic violence survivor support group is supervised by a licensed, professional clinical counselor at a collaborating agency. A facilitator who has prior experience of working with survivors will generally possess the fundamental knowledge, skills and attitudes needed. In addition, some facilitators may have some relevant training for work within the domestic violence field, and/or a relevant degree or qualification such as social work. Such training courses might include the following topics: domestic violence; • sexual violence; • diversity and equal opportunities; • group facilitation skills; •
experience of providing emotional & practical support to survivors of domestic violence experience of safety planning and conducting risk assessments experience of planning and facilitating group work Skills The facilitator should possess skills that enable them to run the group effectively and ensure that collective and individual needs are met. The following specific facilitator skills are essential for a successful self-help group: excellent group management skills, including the ability to plan and facilitate group sessions effectively; excellent communication skills, including clear verbal delivery & positive body language; active listening skills, and the ability to respond empathetically to the group members; the ability to challenge participants, where relevant and necessary, in a but assertive manner; the ability to handle issues, such as anger, in the group; an understanding of professional boundaries and the facilitator’s limitations within the group, e.g. not getting personally involved with the women’s lives; not counseling; self-initiative to plan and execute their group facilitation responsibilities effectively; ability to apply anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities into all aspects of the support group; ability to evaluate the effectiveness of the support group and report on the outcomes; the ability to use basic information technology, such as searching the internet and word processing is preferred. Education, qualifications and training At this time there is no legislative educational credential or qualification requirement in Illinois for a facilitator to run domestic violence survivor support group. However, it is uniformly recommend {by licensed domestic violence agencies} that facilitators should successfully complete the 40-hour Domestic Violence Training at a certified training site and have a good combination of relevant experience and knowledge. It is further recommended that the trained facilitator of a domestic violence survivor support group is supervised by a licensed, professional clinical counselor at a collaborating agency. A facilitator who has prior experience of working with survivors will generally possess the fundamental knowledge, skills and attitudes needed. In addition, some facilitators may have some relevant training for work within the domestic violence field, and/or a relevant degree or qualification such as social work. Such training courses might include the following topics: • domestic violence; • sexual violence; • diversity and equal opportunities; • group facilitation skills;
2.1.7.%20Guidelines%20for%20DV%20Support%20Group%20Facilitators%20(New).docx