Program overview
The Trauma-Informed Advocacy in Legal Systems Certificate will provide professionals with an understanding of issues facing individuals who have experienced trauma, and how professionals can decrease the prevalence of trauma caused in legal systems . They will learn to approach advocacy from an inter-disciplinary perspective, develop skills to implement into their own day-to-day practices, and identify trauma-informed resources in their communities. All professionals who work with those who come into contact with the legal system will benefit from this program.
Courses are delivered online to fit your schedule. There are no scheduled dates or times when all students must be online concurrently. However, students have many opportunities to interact with faculty and one another in discussions and hands-on exercises, and can choose to schedule live meetings if desired. Students can expect to spend four to six hours per week engaging in online coursework.
Although Mitchell Hamline is located in Minnesota, this program is not jurisdicition specific. Students from all over including Minnesota, California, Washington, Massachussets, Washington D.C., Florida, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Canada have recieved certificates from this program. Here’s what some of them had to say:
“I want to thank you for the opportunity to participate. The materials, coursework, and instruction were excellent.”
“This course was great! It took my basic knowledge of trauma and transformed it into robust, practical knowledge that I can use everyday.”
“The faculty know their stuff! Always responsive and engaged in the learning.”
Designed for
- City, county, and government attorneys
- Child and family law practitioners
- Attorneys, judges, and advocates working with child and adults in criminal and certain civil proceedings
- Social workers, guardians ad litem, legal and victim advocates who work with individuals involved in the legal system
- Probation officers and detention professionals
- First responders
- Other legal professionals providing advocacy in juvenile, family, and criminal court to individuals who have experienced trauma
Current J.D. students are not eligible for this program.
Request more information
Key dates
Next start date: Monday, August 22, 2022
Add/Drop deadline: Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Offered in the fall and spring annually
Scholarship Application Due: Friday, July 22, 2022
Course of study
Take three sequential courses over 13 weeks.
- Multi-Disciplinary Overview and Discussion of Trauma (three weeks)
- This course provides an overivew of the definitions and effects of trauma. It provides in-depth discussion on brain development, vicarious trauma, inter-disciplinary approaches to healing and resilience, cultural humility, and social connectedness.
- Survivor- Focused Advocacy (three weeks)
- This course analyzes the requirements of professional ethics from a trauma-informed lens, and provides skills for the implmentation of trauma responsive principles into client relationships, from interviewing to advocacy. It continues the theme of inter-disciplinary and client collaborations.
- One-week break
- Courtroom Specific Advocacy (six weeks)
- This third and final course looks at specific advocacy practices for working with individuals and families who are involved in court proceedings. It highlights the intersection of legal systems with eachother and with broader social spheres, such as education, social services, and mental health.
Registration
To reserve a place in the program, a $150 deposit is required, unless otherwise advised. Registration for the Fall 2022 cohort is open.
Register OnlineTuition
- Regular tuition is $3,900
- Tuition for government and nonprofit employees is $2,600
- Financial aid available to those who qualify: Certificate/Non-Degree Loans
- Non-federal loans requested for certificate programs can be certified for the cost of the program only. Students are allowed to increase the non-federal loan for the purpose of obtaining a computer with the completion of the 1-Time Computer Purchase form with supporting documentation.
Completion
All courses are pass/fail. Students who pass the three required courses are awarded a Certificate in Trauma-Informed Advocacy by Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
We have a limited number of scholarships available for those with financial need. Scholarships are awarded through a lottery system. If you plan to apply for a scholarship, you do not need to pay a registration deposit. You can find the scholarship application here.
Continuing education
14.5 Social Work continuing education credits available.
Approved for 14.5 on demand CLE credits from the Minnesota Board of Continuing Legal Education.
Mitchell Hamline does not apply for continuing education credits in every state, although many people from outside of Minnesota have sucessfully taken and benefitted from this program. If you need any information or documentation to apply for continuing education credits in your own jurisdiction, please email katie.olson@mitchellhamline.edu.
Learning objectives
- Describe the effects of trauma on mind and body, and the populations it reaches from a multi-disciplinary standpoint
- Apply trauma-informed principals to generate specific, individualized service plans and assist clients in building resiliency and begin healing
- Understand the need for self-care and analyze current individual and organizational self-care attitudes and practices
- Research and assess jurisdiction-specific trauma informed service providers
- Propose ways to collaborate with clients, families, and legal and non-legal professionals in an effort to provide clients with strength based services and solutions
- Articulate responsibilities of ethical responses, competency, confidentiality, and zealous advocacy through a trauma-informed lens
- Identify the legal systems in which they may encounter individuals who have experienced trauma and apply skills learned to any client relationship, regardless of the nature of the court proceeding
- Apply knowledge of trauma to practice issues such as “disinterested” or “disengaged” clients, volatile behaviors, and resistant service providers
- Understand the overlap and intersection of legal systems and integrate trauma-focused client services into various courtroom settings
- Compose courtroom statements and be able to justify viewpoints and requested client services
- Critique policies and laws in order to identify barriers and challenges to implementing trauma-informed legal practices.
- Integrate above described objectives in practitioner’s relationships with survivors from any background, culture, religion, mental capacity, and age group
Katie Olson
Director of Training, Zero Abuse Project
Institute to Transform Child Protection
katie.olson @mitchellhamline.edu
651-290-6474
Room 259-B