Training & Facilitation for Survivor-Serving Systems
Leah M. Forney provides trauma-informed, culturally responsive training and facilitated learning experiences for organizations responding to gender-based violence. These offerings are designed to strengthen survivor-centered practice, deepen cultural responsiveness, and support more effective, accountable systems of care across policy, practice, and community engagement.
Core Trainings:
Culturally Informed Care: Best Practices for Serving Survivors of Color
An advanced training designed for gender-based violence professionals seeking to deepen their capacity to serve survivors of color with cultural humility, accountability, and effectiveness. This training examines how credibility bias, anti-Blackness, systemic inequities, and institutional practices shape survivor experiences and outcomes, while offering practical strategies to improve engagement, trust, and care delivery.
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Delivery Options:
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Self-Paced Course – Available through the Culture Academy; organizations may license the course for 1, 2, or 3 years
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Six-Week Facilitated Experience – Live, instructor-led series delivered virtually or in person
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Condensed Workshop – 90-minute virtual or in-person session focused on core concepts and application
Community Matters: Building Bridges for Effective Community Outreach and Engagement
A two-part training series focused on strengthening community partnerships as a critical component of survivor support and access to services. This training addresses why organizations often rely on the same limited partners and provides strategies to expand outreach, build trust with underserved communities, and develop more inclusive, responsive engagement practices.
Two-Part Series Includes:
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Part 1: Moving Beyond the Same Five Agencies – Examines barriers to partnership expansion and challenges organizations to rethink traditional outreach models
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Part 2: Community Matters – Practical strategies for building, sustaining, and leveraging meaningful community relationships
Delivery Options:
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Virtual or in-person
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Offered as a two-part series
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Population & Context-Specific Trainings
Hidden in Plain Sight: An Intersectional Approach to Stalking and Sexual Violence in Marginalized Communities
A 90-minute workshop exploring how stalking and sexual violence manifest differently within marginalized communities. This training examines patterns, warning signs, and intersections of identity, while providing culturally responsive and trauma-informed strategies for prevention and response.
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Delivery: Virtual or in-person | 90-minute workshop
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Sexual Violence in Athletic Spaces
This workshop examines how power, prestige, institutional loyalty, and athletic culture can contribute to the minimization or mishandling of sexual and domestic violence. Participants explore systemic risk factors and strategies for accountability and survivor-centered response within athletic environments.
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Delivery: Virtual or in-person | 90-minute workshop
Sexual Violence Among International Students
A foundational workshop addressing how immigration policy, cultural norms, language access, and institutional power shape international students’ vulnerability to sexual violence. The training provides context-specific considerations and strategies to improve institutional response and access to support.
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Delivery: Virtual or in-person | 90-minute workshop
Justice Within: Understanding PREA and the Rights of Incarcerated Survivors
This training explores the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), survivor rights, and the unique challenges faced by incarcerated survivors. Participants gain insight into systemic barriers, advocacy strategies, and trauma-informed approaches within correctional settings.
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Delivery: Virtual or in-person | 90-minute workshop
The Digital Trap: Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Exploitation
A workshop focused on the misuse of technology to perpetrate harm, including digital exploitation, online abuse, coercive control, and emerging technology-facilitated violence trends. Participants examine risks, survivor impacts, and prevention and response strategies.
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Delivery: Virtual or in-person | 90-minute workshop