Lessons from Trauma-Informed Training on Technology-Facilitated Abuse for Gender-Based Violence Advocates

2026-10-01

AI Summary

This study addresses the knowledge gaps and limited support capacity among gender-based violence (GBV) advocates in identifying and responding to technology-facilitated abuse (TFA). By integrating trauma-informed training, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and autoethnographic reflection, the authors propose three design principles—flexible coordination, mitigating psychological distance, and tailoring content based on field experience—to develop and implement a targeted intervention program. The proposed approach significantly enhances advocates’ awareness of TFA-related harms and their confidence in providing support, while optimizing safety planning and referral workflows. Furthermore, this work distills an HCI-oriented checklist for training interventions in high-risk contexts, along with reusable design guidelines, offering actionable contributions for both research and practice in supporting vulnerable populations.

Abstract

Technology-facilitated abuse (TFA) is an emerging gendered public health crisis affecting millions of people across the globe. TFA coincides with other forms of gender-based violence (GBV), such as emotional, psychological, and physical abuse by an intimate partner. Survivors often seek support from GBV advocates who specialize in helping survivors navigate abusive situations and potential pathways for healing and remediation. With the rise in TFA, however, survivors and GBV advocates experience barriers and gaps in knowledge in identifying and mitigating this newer, ever-evolving form of abuse. To address this, we developed trauma-informed training as a critical capacity-building intervention to improve GBV advocates' knowledge and skills for responding to survivors and to encourage multi-stakeholder collaboration toward a structural response. We facilitated 8 training workshops at local, state, and national US-based GBV organizations. Our study demonstrates that the trainings increased advocates' perceived understanding of TFA abuse vectors and their impacts on survivors, along with advocates' confidence in providing support, safety planning, and referrals through collaboration with community stakeholders. We then conducted retrospective reflections through autoethnography to surface key lessons, contestations, and tensions that emerged from our experiences in designing and coordinating trainings with host GBV organizations. Our analysis of autoethnographic notes revealed three key design decisions: coordinating logistics flexibly, reducing reflexive distance from host organizations and attendees, and using our field experience to tailor content for accessibility. We contribute a concrete checklist to guide future HCI scholars in conducting training interventions for stakeholders in high-stakes contexts.

Problem

• technology-facilitated abuse
• gender-based violence
• capacity building
• trauma-informed training

Innovation

• technology-facilitated abuse
• trauma-informed training
• autoethnography
• capacity-building
• HCI