The New York State Office of Victim Services (OVS) is pleased to announce a new training course for legal advocates and allied professionals from OVS-funded organizations. 

In partnership with NYU, NYLAG and Columbia University, Trauma Responsive Lawyering is an 8-session virtual training (Fridays, January 22 – March 12, 2021) led by mental health and legal experts who serve interpersonal violence (IPV) survivors and their families. 

This program is open to legal advocates from OVS-funded organizations and sessions are geared toward both newer and more experienced legal professionals. Sessions are free of charge, and Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits, including diversity and inclusion credits, will be provided to those who meet eligible criteria.

Training 1: IPV effects on mental health and the need for trauma-informed services for IPV, January 22, 12-2 pm EST

This introduction will focus on the emotional, cognitive, behavioral and
relational effects of IPV, and explain the rationale for trauma-informed
services as well as discuss best recommendations for services that use
this framework.

Obianuju “Uju” Berry, MD, MPH is the Medical Director of NYC Health + Hospitals Domestic and Gender-Based Violence Mental Health Collaboration and Assistant Professor at NYU Langone within the Department of Child Adolescent Psychiatry. She is a graduate of Harvard Medical School, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Columbia University Psychiatry Residency and Fellowship Programs. She is an academic researcher and clinician with clinical expertise in early childhood mental health, women's mental health, and trauma. She is experienced in mental health research, public policy, and has worked with a variety of state and federal institutions, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institute of Domestic Violence in the African American Community. During her training, she led a city-wide hybrid implementation effectiveness study on the evaluation of a mental health and intimate partner violence intervention with New York City’s Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender Based Violence (ENDGBV). Dr. Berry’s research focuses on implementation science, service delivery, and maternal intergenerational transmission and impact of trauma on child psychopathology.