This workshop is designed for non-Muslims to understand the issues of Gender, Marriage, and Intimate Partner Violence from an Islamic perspective, including religious tradition, law, and differential role of culture. Participants will learn about historic roots, and modern prevention and intervention methods for addressing intimate partner violence within a Muslim context. Participants will receive information on how to make DV/IPV services more welcoming and culturally appropriate for Muslims seeking assistance, moving towards the goal of creating inclusive spaces where DV victims of any faith tradition may feel welcome and get the needed assistance to move in their journey to safety.

Presenter: Denise Ziya Berte, PhD, Peaceful Families Project

Dr. Denise Ziya Berte, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the State of Palestine for over 25 years with a specialty in trauma, interpersonal violence and indigenous populations. She began her career working with Central American refugees on the Arizona border as the coordinator of Casa Compenera with a liberation theology perspective as part of the Sanctuary Movement. Dr. Berte has written over 17 published professional articles, three book chapters and presented on over 100 occasions internationally related to her topics of specialty. She is a forensic psychologist who has evaluated over 1,000 individuals and served as an expert witness in cases involving criminal, family, immigration and human rights law. Dr. Berte has worked in the United States, West Africa (Liberia, Sierra Leon, Cameroon), Latin America (Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Peru), and the Middle East (West Bank Palestine, Jordan). She has previously served as the Director of Children and Adolescent Services for Community Behavioral Health in Philadelphia, the Executive Director of the Liberty Center for Survivors of Torture, the Vice President of the Latin American Community Center in Wilmington, as the clinical Director of the An Najah Child Institute and as a Professor in the medical Faculty at the An Najah National University of Palestine. Dr. Berte is fluent in Spanish and English and has moderate fluency in French and Arabic.

This course, “Mythbusters: Islam and Gender, Marriage, Domestic Violence, and the Legal Rights of Women” is approved for continuing education by the NASW-DE Continuing Education Approval Collaborative. CE Approval Period is from March 1, 2022-January 31, 2023. Delaware social workers will receive 1.5 General CE credits for participating in this course.

This program is funded through the Delaware Criminal Justice Council by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Family Violence Prevention and Services Program.