WABI covers domestic violence training at UMaine

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

July 18, 2019 UMaine in the News

WABI (Channel 5) covered a training about domestic violence at the University of Maine on July 17. About 150 mental health professionals gathered on campus for the session, which was intended to educate social workers and others who interact with survivors and perpetrators of domestic violence. “I think sometimes there’s a misunderstanding that it’s common sense knowledge, but actually we have not just mental health practices, but we have legal stuff that we have to know in terms of giving our clients the right information,” said Judith Josiah-Martin with the UMaine School of Social Work. The training covered topics like how abusers justify their behavior; the power and control the abuser can use on a victim, including using children and intimidation; and how to help with a safety plan, WABI reported. “I think with the rising number of clients that we work with as mental health practitioners, who are experiencing trauma on multiple levels, that no practitioner can afford to be in the field today without having this education,” said Josiah-Martin. “I think the more people we have educated about this, not just practitioners, community members, family members, so that they can be a part of the healing circle, not just for the individual or for their family, but for the whole community.” Beginning next year, the training will be mandatory before a license to practice social work is issued, according to WABI. Anyone interested in similar training can contact Partners for Peace for more information.