Vortex of Violence Training
A Trauma-Informed Model for Practice with Survivors of Domestic Violence
Strengthen Your Practice with Victim-Survivors of Domestic Violence
Developed by Dr Ann Carrington, the Vortex of Violence is an evidence-based, trauma-informed model for understanding and responding to domestic and family violence. First published in the British Journal of Social Work (2014), this framework equips clinicians and practitioners with practical strategies to support victim-survivors safely and effectively.
This training program is designed to enhance practitioner skills, strengthen wellbeing, and improve client outcomes. After years as an academic and researcher at Deakin University and James Cook University, Dr Carrington has returned full-time to her first passion — therapeutic counselling and professional training — focusing on helping practitioners navigate the complexities of trauma and vulnerability while supporting meaningful change in their clients’ lives.
Two program streams are available:
General Vortex of Violence Training – for therapists, case managers, and frontline practitioners.
EMDR-Informed Vortex of Violence Training – for EMDR practitioners seeking to integrate the model into therapy.
Training is delivered in-person or live online to individual practitioners or organisational teams. Team training can be tailored to meet your team’s specific professional focus, and learning needs. This training will help strengthen practitioner skills, confidence, and wellbeing in trauma-exposed contexts.
About Dr Ann Carrington
Dr Ann Carrington is a Social Work practitioner, academic, and researcher with over 20 years of experience in education, research, and therapeutic practice. She is an Accredited EMDRAA Practitioner and Mental Health Social Worker, recognised by Medicare for specialist clinical expertise.
Her research and practice has focused on domestic and sexual violence, trauma-informed care, and practitioner wellbeing. Her Vortex of Violence model has influenced trauma-informed frameworks internationally, shaping training, supervision, and intervention strategies.
Dr Carrington co-developed the Dentist Domestic Violence: Recognise, Respond and Refer program – a national, award-winning and first of its kind initiative that equips dental students to identify and respond to domestic and sexual violence.
An experienced educator and mentor, she has taught at Deakin University and James Cook University, receiving a National Teaching Excellence Award for her contributions to evidence-based professional education. She continues to provide therapeutic counselling, clinical supervision, and professional training, translating research into practical, impactful programs for practitioners and organisations working with trauma and vulnerability.
About the Training
The Vortex of Violence training is designed for practitioners who work closely with individuals affected by domestic and family violence. It provides evidence-based, trauma-informed strategies to help you engage clients safely, respond effectively, and promote meaningful change.
Key features of the training include:
Practical, real-world applications – Learn strategies you can implement immediately in your practice.
Trauma-informed framework – Understand the complex dynamics of domestic violence and its impact on clients.
Focus on practitioner wellbeing – Build skills to manage the emotional challenges of working with trauma and vulnerability.
Flexible options – Choose between the general program for all practitioners or the EMDR-informed program for clinicians using EMDR.
Whether you are a psychologist, social worker, psychotherapist, case manager, or other frontline practitioner, this training strengthens both your practice and your confidence, helping you support clients more effectively while protecting your own professional wellbeing.
Training Streams
General Training - For practitioners across allied health, social and community sectors. Covers foundational theory of the innovative and effective Vortex of Violence as a conceptual tool and as a therapeutic model for practice including applied techniques and trauma-informed engagement.
EMDR-Informed Training - For EMDR practitioners. This course expands on the general training integrating the EMDR phases into the Vortex of Violence therapeutic practice model to better support victim-survivors.
Delivery and Format
Available live online or in person, to individual practitioners or organisational teams. Team training programs are customised to organisational needs and professional focus. Training integrates presentation, reflective discussion, and guided practice, with comprehensive resources and CPD documentation provided on completion.
Why This Training Matters
Domestic violence remains a significant issue in Australia and globally, with 1 in 4 women and 1 in 14 men experiencing intimate partner violence. Helping and health professionals are likely to encounter clients affected by domestic violence, making effective training essential.
This training introduces the Vortex of Violence (VoV), a psychoeducational framework that helps clinicians understand the dynamics of domestic violence, perpetrator tactics, and the psychological impact on victim-survivors. It extends to a therapeutic practice model that helps clients move beyond the cycle of violence to achieve sustainable change. Participants will learn how to apply the VoV to support clients’ self-awareness, guide history-taking, assessment, risk management, and case planning, and therapeutic intervention allowing integration of their own theoretical approach. The model also addresses interrupting the victim-survivor’s idealisation of the person using violence.
The EMDR-focused component extends the model to clinical processing, including identifying and mapping target memories, recognising triggers, eliciting adaptive and maladaptive cognitions, and selecting elements for future template work. Participants will learn how to apply the VoV alongside Jim Knipe’s EMDR protocol to disrupt and heal maladaptive connections to the person using violence.
Get Started With Tailored Training for You or Your Team
Explore how the Vortex of Violence training can strengthen your practice, support staff wellbeing, and enhance outcomes for those experiencing domestic violence.