Interfaith Training on The Intersection of Faith & Domestic Violence

Join InterAct, Wake County's sole provider of domestic and sexual violence services for survivors, and Julie Owens, the nationally acclaimed authority on domestic violence in the faith community, for this free, day-long training on how to serve survivors of domestic and sexual violence within a community of faith.

This inclusive, interfaith training is intended for faith leaders and lay leaders of all religious affiliations.

The objectives of this training are to learn:

• How Domestic violence & religion intersect
• Challenges for religious victims
• Relevant religious teachings
• Do’s & Don’ts with victims and abusers
• Making appropriate referrals
• Local and national religious resources
• How Faith Communities Can Help
• Tools for education & training

Lunch will be provided.

All religious affiliations are welcome and included in this interfaith training.

This is a NC CFWYI-FVPSA Supported Event.

Meet Julie Owens

In 1988 Julie and her prominent pastor father survived a domestic violence (DV) attempted murder by her estranged husband. Her story is told in FaithTrust Institute's documentary "Broken Vows: Religious Perspectives on Domestic Violence", the TV series “When Love Hurts”, and several books including Domestic Violence: What Every Pastor Needs to Know and The Wonder Years: 40 Women Over 40 on Aging, Faith, Beauty and Strength. After healing, Julie began co-facilitating victim groups, organizing survivors and lobbying for new and improved laws. She developed and provided DV training for physicians, an on-call ER crisis team, a DV counselor training program, a DV ministry and free transitional DV shelter at her father’s church, and an interfaith DV coalition. Subsequently she directed DV and sexual assault trauma research at the National Center for PTSD. After returning to the U.S. mainland, Julie coordinated DV efforts in an urban mental health system and oversaw multiple victim service agencies for the state of N.C. Julie and sociologist Dr. Nancy Nason-Clark worked extensively with the late Biblical scholar Dr. Catherine Clark Kroeger to offer international conferences on DV and faith issues, and later contributed chapters in a book series they created for pastors. “A Survivor Looks Back: What I Wish Pastors had Known When I was Looking for Help,” is in Beyond Abuse in the Christian Home: Raising Voices for Change, and was followed by chapters in Strengthening Families and Ending Abuse: Churches and their Leaders Look to the Future and Responding to Abuse in Christian Homes: A Challenge to Churches and their Leaders. She also served as one of the four North American Site Coordinators for the development of Dr. Nason-Clark’s web-based resource, the Religion And Violence E-learning project (www.theraveproject.com).

For many years Julie has consulted and trained nationally and internationally for both secular and faith-based entities. In 2011 was hired by the U.S. Department of State to provide extensive nationwide training in the Republic of Kosovo.

In 2013, after being stalked for many years and testifying against her abuser in a subsequent case, Julie learned that he was terminally ill. She and her 24 year old son met with him and the resulting restorative justice experience was transformative and healing for all three individuals. No longer having safety concerns, Julie was able to establish an internet presence. Six months later an old boyfriend found her on-line. IN 2014 they were married by her father in a joyous celebration.

Julie retired in 2015 but travels widely with her husband for work as an expert witness, consultant and trainer for entities such as the DOJ Office for Victims of Crime and the DHHS National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center where she is an expert consultant. In 2017 she co-wrote the national toolkit and screening guide for assisting adult victims of human trafficking for the U.S. She has been the trainer and consultant for Bank of America’s team that addresses DV issues involving employees in the U.S since its inception in 2015.

Her primary training focus is best practices in victim advocacy in both secular and faith-based settings. Her passion is achieving social justice for women and girls by advancing global gender equality and establishing violence against women as a human rights violation.