VAMHN'S ECR Bursary WINNER Ashley Mccarthy REFLECTS ON HER experience at AVA's complicated Matters training course

Have a read below to see what the second of our 5 ECR Bursary Award winners, Ashley McCarthy did with her award money. To find out how you can apply to our ECR Bursary Award Scheme click here.

I recently attended Complicated Matters: The Links Between Experiences of Domestic & Sexual Violence, Substance Use and Mental Ill-Health training delivered by the Against Violence and Abuse (AVA) project. I wanted to attend this training as I am currently working on research looking at the impact of violence on young people and more broadly, have an interest in understanding trauma.

I found this 1-day training to be a thought-provoking and valuable experience. We explored many areas of violence and abuse throughout the day, but one which stands out was the discussions on the balance of power and the disproportionate experiences of abuse and violence that certain groups have faced; not only between men and women but also between different ethnic populations as well as LGBTQ populations, etc.
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We spoke about barriers to accessing support services and the impact gender, stigma, ethnicity, and culture may have on this. This made me think about past clients I have worked within the probation service, many of which had experienced trauma as well as mental health and substance misuse issues. I thought about how I may ask things differently in future because of this training. It also drew my awareness to how I might support research participants to tell their narratives in interviews while remaining mindful of trauma-informed practice.
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Overall, this training has made me more equipped to work with the tangled web of domestic violence, sexual violence, substance use, and mental ill-health, and understand how difficult it can be for victims to seek support and attend services. It also provided me with greater insight, more tools, and modes of questioning to utilise when interacting with victims of violence in the future.  

I am grateful to the VAMHN for providing me with the funding to attend the Complicated Matters training. It has been a beneficial experience not only for my current role but for my future career aspirations in psychology.