Family Violence: What is Abuse and How Do We Screen for it?

This recording from a December 9, 2025 webinar hosted by CLEA features Andrea Bryson, BSW, MSW, RSW, drawing on more than 20 years of experience assisting victims and survivors to provide practical advice as to how we can better understand domestic abuse and considerations for effective screening. A mock screening is included, followed by important commentary about the distinction between screening and coaching. More about our presenter: Andrea Bryson, MSW, has over twenty years of experience supporting survivors of violence, navigating legal systems, and training legal and frontline professionals across British Columbia. She has held leadership and educational roles with YWCA Metro Vancouver and Rise Women's Legal Centre, where she developed programs that improved access to justice for clients facing barriers and co-authored numerous public legal education resources on family law and family violence. Drawing on trauma-informed and anti-oppressive social work frameworks, Andrea has facilitated hundreds of workshops for lawyers, advocates, and students on integrating social work analysis into legal practice. She currently serves as an instructor at the University of Fraser Valley. Andrea's work has been recognized with awards for advocacy and systemic change, including the Surrey Women's Centre Champion of Change Award and the BC Representative for Children & Youth Award of Excellence for Advocacy. Andrea's peer-reviewed publication on an Alternative to Burnout was recently published in the Journal of Social Work & Policy Studies: Social Justice, Practice and Theory. Recorded on December 9, 2025.