The purpose of Montana Victim Advocate Academy (MVAA) is to provide fundamental, comprehensive, and academically-based education and training for victim assistance providers, victim advocates, criminal justice personnel, and allied professionals who routinely deal with crime victims.
Held at the University of Montana, the MVAA is a weeklong 40-hour comprehensive training. Our curriculum was developed from the National Victim Assistance Academy manual and modified to include needs assessment feedback from surveyed Montana victim service providers.
"I was an advocate in Illinois for 2 years and when I moved to Montana I didn’t realize how much things would be different. The job title is the same but the work is different because of Montana laws. The academy taught me the basics of what was different and what I needed to know to be a successful victim/witness advocate in Montana. I would suggest the academy to anyone wanting to know more about how to be able to better serve the victims/witnesses that come into their office!"
2018 ACADEMY DETAILS
Through a collaborative partnership between the Montana National Guard, United States Air Force and the Montana Victim Advocate Academy we have been able to provide a modified version of the 40 hour a week Academy. This modified Academy allows for more focused learning on advocacy content knowledge, resiliency awareness and skill building.
2021 ACADEMY DETAILS
Our Mission
Our Vision
The vision of the Montana Victim Advocate Academy is to advance professionalism and coordination across agencies and reduce victimization for all Montana citizens.
Contact Us
Nancy Berg
Assistant Director of the Montana Safe Schools Center
Montana Victim Advocate Academy
Phyllis J. Washington College of Education
University of Montana
P: (406) 243-4973 E: nancy.berg@mso.umt.edu W: www.coehs.umt.edu
Congratulations to the 2017 MVAA Graduates!
