Welcome to the BC Society of Transition Houses (BCSTH) online course Foundations in Violence Against Women v2.0  

The BCSTH believes that violence against women both reflects and perpetuates women’s inequity and that women face other sources of oppression in addition to sexism. For many women, their experiences of violence can be made still more difficult by the other forms of personal and systemic oppression they experience. We believe that applying women-centered principles not only helps women and their children, but leads to the systemic change we seek. In this self-directed online course, we will provide an overview of violence against women in Canada, including how our society thinks about violence, and how violence against women is a reflection of women’s inequity.

Full member fee: $60.00 CDN
Associate member fee: $90.00 CDN

Non-member fee: $125.00 CDN

Instructor(s)

BC Society of Transition Houses

The BC Society of Transition Houses develops and delivers online and in-person training tailored to the needs of anti-violence workers who work directly with women, children and youth experiencing violence.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome!

  • 2

    Unit 1: Introduction - Understanding Violence Against Women

  • 3

    Unit 2: Brief History of the Feminist and Transition House Movement

    • Learning Objectives

    • One Short History of Feminism in Canada

    • History of the Transition House Movement

    • What is a Feminist?

    • Feminism and Intersectionality

    • Personal Reflection

    • Finding Inspiration

    • Personal Reflection: Who Inspires You?
  • 4

    Unit 3 : Self Care and Collective Care

    • Learning Objectives

    • Burnout?

    • Alternative Understanding of Burnout

    • Resisting Burnout with Justice Doing

    • Honouring Ourselves and Each Other

    • Personal Reflection
  • 5

    Unit 4: Systemic Responses to Violence Against Women

    • Learning Objectives

    • Violence Against Women: A Systemic Problem Experienced Individually

    • Systemic Responses to Violence Against Women

    • Policies and Practices Within Systems

    • Case Study

    • Societal Stereotypes & Women Who Experience Violence

    • Language and Systems of Violence

    • Social Responses to Women who Experience Violence

    • The Tree of Violence

    • Personal Reflection
  • 6

    Unit 5: Colonization and Violence Against Indigenous Women

    • Learning Objectives

    • The Legacy of Colonization

    • The Indian Act: Legislated Racism and Sexism (1876-present)

    • Residential Schools

    • Personal Reflection
  • 7

    Unit 6: Beyond Gender: Other Forms of Oppression

    • Learning Objectives

    • We are More Than the Sum of Our Parts

    • The Power Flower

    • Personal Reflection

    • Supporting Diversity and Inclusion

    • Violence Against Women in Rural Communities

    • Women Living with Disabilities and Accessibility

    • Immigrant and Refugee Women

    • The Race to Innocence

    • Who Said It Was Simple

    • Personal Reflection
  • 8

    Unit 7: Socioeconomic Causes and Impacts of Violence Against Women

    • Learning Objectives

    • The Socioeconomic Relationship to Violence Against Women

    • Economic Control and Abuse

    • The Economic Abuse Wheel

    • Case Study: Economic Abuse

    • Access to Financial Information

    • Housing Assistance Programs in BC

    • Personal Reflection
  • 9

    Unit 8: Personal Impacts of Violence Against Women

    • Learning Objectives

    • Overview of Personal Impacts of Violence Against Women

    • Brain Injury and Violence Against Women

    • Signs and Symptoms of Brain Injury

    • How This Affects Your Practice

    • Case Study

    • Activity
  • 10

    Unit 9: Intersections of Violence, Mental Wellness, and Substance Use

    • Learning Objectives

    • Connecting Violence, Mental Wellness and Substance Use

    • Considering our Language

    • Labels and Diagnosis

    • Normal Responses to Experiences of Violence

    • Supporting Women in Practice

    • Assumptions about Behaviours

    • Personal Reflection
  • 11

    Unit 10: Impacts of Violence Against Women Across the Lifespan

    • Learning Objectives

    • Experiences of Violence Over Time

    • Violence Against Older Women

    • You’ve Been With Him How Long?

    • Ageism

    • Personal Reflection
  • 12

    Unit 11: Children and Youth Who Experience Violence

    • Learning Objectives

    • Children and Youth Who Experience Violence

    • Understanding Children and Youths' Experiences of Violence

    • Impacts of Violence on Children and Youth

    • Factors that Influence the Impacts of Violence

    • How to Help

    • Talking with Children and Youth about Violence Against Women

    • Child Protection: How the Violence Against Women Sector Addresses Duty to Report

    • Personal Reflection
  • 13

    Unit 12: Mothering in the Context of Violence

    • Learning Objectives

    • Mothering in the Context of Violence

    • Myths About Violence Against Women

    • Stuck in an Impossible Place

    • Barriers to Service

    • Personal Reflection
  • 14

    Unit 13: Using a Feminist Framework to Guide Our Practices

    • Learning Objectives

    • Guiding Framework

    • Women-Centred Approach

    • Women-Centred Care

    • Personal Reflection

    • Anti-Oppressive Framework

    • An Intersectional Feminist Framework

    • Intersecting Identities: On the Ground

    • Intersectionality

    • Challenges of Delivering Feminist Services

    • A Trauma and Violence-Informed Approach

    • Harm Reduction Approaches

    • What are Promising Principles?

    • Case Studies

    • Four women fleeing violence
  • 15

    Course Feedback

    • Course Feedback