Training Materials

As a PASTOR what are the most important things for me to know about domestic abuse?

This is one of our FAQs.

Abuse and the Church — A Podcast

Ps Jeff Crippen was asked by Theology Gals, a Facebook group that includes over 2500 women from all over the county and a few different nations, to do an interview discussing abuse and the church. You can listen to the interview here: Abuse and the Church: Theology Girls with Ps Jeff Crippen.

Abuse in the Church

A four-part course on DVD, which is available for purchase, will equip both counselors and church leaders to help Christian organizations prepare and implement procedures to prevent child and adult abuse and to take appropriate action when faced with allegations. The two speakers of the course are Philip G. Monroe, PsyD and Basyle Tchividjian, JD.

Assessing men who present as victims of family violence but who may actually be the primary aggressor (PDF) [Internet Archive link]

Nathan DeGuara draws on the work of the Victims Support Agency and No To Violence in assisting practitioners to assess whether men who are referred – or who present – as victims of intimate partner violence are the victim or the one perpetrating violence. The PDF linked to above is a PDF of the Powerpoint presentation Nathan DeGuara gave at the No To Violence Conference [Internet Archive link] held in Melbourne, Australia, in November of 2012.

Counseling Victims of Domestic Abuse

A presentation Diane Langberg gave at the Forum Of Christian Leaders, Budapest, 25 May 2010.  Diane Langberg, a Christian psychologist, has worked with many victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse and genocide; and also with people who have abused power in positions of Christian leadership.

The Debate Over Men’s Versus Women’s Family Violence

This paper by Dr. Michael Flood, postdoctoral fellow at La Trobe University, demonstrates that there is no ‘gender symmetry’ ion domestic violence, there are important differences between men’s and women’s typical patterns of victimization, and while men often are the victims of violence, they are most at risk from other men.  Permission is granted for this document to be circulated and posted online.

Domestic Violence Disclosure Flow Chart

from “Practice Guidelines: A consultative document for Churches, circuits and districts when working within the issue of Domestic Abuse.

A Gender Debate in Domestic Violence:  The Role of Data, by Australian Domestic & Family Violence Clearinghouse

This paper discusses the issues of gender and violence in relationship and the controversy between proponents of gender asymmetry (i.e. men are more likely to be violent and women more likely to be victims) and proponents of gender symmetry (i.e. men and women are equally violent and equally likely to be victims). This is a downloadable PDF.

Honouring our Clients’ Resistance to Violence and Oppression

Interview with therapist and researcher, Allan Wade.

Honouring Women’s Resistance: How Women Resist Abuse in Intimate Relationships

An excellent 34 page PDF resource from Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter.  And their booklet Choosing to Change: A Handbook for Men concerned about their abusive behavior toward those they love – may be helpful for abusers who want to change.

Jimmy Hinton — podcast on radio show “Restory” with Mary DeMuth

Jimmy Hinton is a child protection advocate, a pastor, a husband and a father.  In 2011, after learning that his (pastor) father had molested young girls, he and his mom turned him in to authorities.  He is now serving a 30-60 year sentence.  This is a 50 minute interview where Jimmy tells his story of how he found out about his father and the circumstances leading up to his father’s arrest.  In addition Jimmy talks about how most Christians don’t understand what the Bible says about evil.  He talks about sin leveling, the role of the pastor and church leadership and how their role is to protect the sheep and they are to report, not investigate, criminal matters.

Making the Church a Safe Place

In this two-part video training, Dr. Phil Monroe, Professor of Counseling and Psychology at Missio Seminary (was Biblical Seminary) will explore how faith communities can unintentionally create additional distress for those with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  This video series shows how to 1) identify common struggles of trauma survivors in faith communities, 2) understand the impact of trauma on the brain functioning and interpersonal relationship, 3) recognize the tendency to over-spiritualize invisible wounds, and 4) identify leader, lay, and counselor interventions to improve the church experience of those suffering from PTSD. The video series starts near the end of the page.

The myth of women’s false accusations of domestic violence and rape and misuse of protection orders

Fact sheet by xyonline.net, also available in PDF. Summary from the fact sheet:

Myth:

Women routinely make up allegations of domestic violence and rape, including to gain advantage in family law cases. And women use protection orders to remove men from their homes or deny contact with children.

Facts:

• The risk of domestic violence increases at the time of separation.
• Most allegations of domestic violence in the context of family law proceedings are made in good faith and with support and evidence for their claims.
• Rates of false accusations of rape are very low.
• Women living with domestic violence often do not take out protection orders and do so only as a last resort.
• Protection orders provide an effective means of reducing women’s vulnerability to violence.

Narcissism and the System it Breeds

Dr. Langberg, clinical faculty with Missio Seminary (was Biblical Seminary) and GTRI, lectures on the characteristics of narcissistic leaders and the temptations for organizational systems to support them.  This five-part video will help you to 1) identify common features of narcissistic leaders and organization, 2) examine individual and system vulnerabilities to toxic leadership, 3) summarize best practices for therapy with narcissistic individuals, and 4) compare leadership style of Jesus Christ and egocentric and demanding church leaders. The video series starts about half-way down the page.

Ps Crippen Open Letter from a Pastor to Pastors

This letter is a PDF.  Readers are granted permission to reproduce this letter and use it to good ends.  Please do not alter or change the wording.

Ps. Jeff Crippen’s 21 sermon series on domestic violence and abuse
Red Flags: Risk Factors

A PDF listing several risk factors that victims who are experiencing any of the them are at increased risk of being killed or almost killed.

Respecting & Listening to Victims of Violence

This handbook produced by Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter explains how to talk with victims in respectful ways — ways that will really help women who are being abused by their partners.  NB: the word violence in the title does not mean it’s only restricted to physical violence.  The authors of the handbook are using the term in the way many DV professionals use it, to cover all the various tactics of coercive control that domestic abusers can use: emotional, verbal, financial, social, sexual, physical, spiritual and legal abuse.

Risk Assessment

For practitioners and victim-advocates, this article explains what is necessary to understand and assess risk.

Screening Questions for Intimate partner sexual abuse

Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs

Sexist humour and rape jokes: Five key points

by Michael Flood.

Sexist jokes often are dismissed or excused as harmless fun. Yet they have real, negative effects in the world. They are linked to sexist and violent behaviour, they worsen gender inequalities, and they increase tolerance for violence against women.

Strangulation: Detection & Investigation

Brian Bennett is a domestic violence instructor with the State Criminal Justicee Academy in South Carolina and an advisor in the field of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Investigating Non Fatal Strangulation Assault:  A Trauma Informed Approach

Tom Tremblay is a retired Chief of Police from Burlington, Vermont and the former Commissioner of the Vermont Dept. of Public Safety.  He has been an advisor and instructor in the investigation of domestic violence and sexual assault. We are impressed by the way Tom Tremblay recommends how to question victims in a way that understands their distress and how the trauma might have affected them.

Also by Tom Tremblay: Sexual Assault:  A Trauma Informed Approach to Law Enforcement First Response.

Together We Heal

Founded by David Pittman, a child sexual abuse survivor, this website is for any who suffer from the trauma of childhood sexual abuse.  It exists to provide guidance and counseling to those in need, educate any who seek information on how to better protect our children and to expose the sexual predators and their methods.

Understanding and Responding to Dissociation

In this two-part video, Dr. Langberg, Clinical faculty with Missio Seminary (was Biblical Seminary) and GTRI, examines the experience of dissociation, the process of “leaving” the present, and provides ten principles for working with clients diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder.  The video series teaches how to 1) identify the signs and symptoms of dissociation, 2) help others recognize and stop reliving past traumatic experiences, 3) recognize diagnostic features of Dissociative Identity Disorder, and 4) explore town principles and cautions for those working with DID clients. The video series starts near the top of the page.

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UPDATE  Sept 2021:  I, Barbara Roberts, have come to believe that Jeff Crippen does not practise what he preaches.  He vilely persecuted an abuse victim and spiritually abused many other people in the Tillamook congregation. Go here to read the evidence. Jeff has not gone to the people that he spiritually and emotionally abused. He has not apologised to them, let alone asked for their forgiveness.