On October 24th, 2023, the violence prevention program through REACH Community Health Centre presented guest speaker, Karen Mason from SOAR Canada (Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research), for a special half-day workshop titled “Moving Head: Putting Knowledge of Brain Injury in Intimate Partner Violence into Practice”. The workshop was held at the YWCA Hotel in downtown Vancouver and was attended by front-line workers from various community organizations including, Mount Pleasant Neighborhood House, Family Services of Greater Vancouver, Watari Counselling and Support Services, Coquitlam RCMP Victim Services, Vancouver and Lower mainland Family Services Society, and REACH Community Health Centre.

The workshop covered topics such as:

How to identify red flags and common symptoms of brain injury in cases of intimate partner violence
Resources that are available for survivors of brain injury
Tools available to help workers deliver a trauma-informed response to those who may be exhibiting signs of having experience a brain injury

The workshop was very informative and interactive and participants reported feeling much more confident on the topic and more equipped to serve their clients and community as a result of the knowledge gained from the workshop. Visit SOAR’s website for more resources and information on these topics https://soarproject.ca/