As a DV expert, I have attended numerous trainings on the subject matter of Intimate Partner Violence. M3ND does an exemplary job of presenting relevant and up-to-date information that is supported by research as well as personal testimonies. Statistics demonstrate that if you are not personally affected by abuse from an intimate partner, you will know someone who is or has been. “Not knowing” what to do or how to respond need not be an obstacle to making a true difference in a. . . victim’s life. M3ND can teach you what you need to know and properly prepare you with materials to be used to bring hope and healing to someone’s life.

Dr. Ramona Probasco, Psy.D., MFT, NCC, Nationally Certified Counselor, Certified DV Counselor

M3ND is providing the education, guidance, and resources to educate and empower individuals to be able to properly respond and get people connected to the resources they need. Victims are going to a number of community members; beauticians, first responders, clergy, neighbors, before they seek services from a local DV program. [M3ND’s training of these individuals] is the missing puzzle piece. DV agencies support M3ND because of the unique and important work they are doing to make our community one with prepared responders.

Jennifer Ponce, Director, California Partnership to End Domestic Violence

In June of 2019 we were honored to have Annette Oltmans speak at our workshop to therapists from around the Las Vegas Valley. The overall consensus was an outpouring of accolades and, “When can she come back?” The education, knowledge, research and personal experience Annette brought to the workshop has proven to be invaluable. Annette spoke on matters such as “double abuse” and “original abuse”,
“accountability model of courage” and “healing model of compassion.  She gave us a new perspective, hope and excitement to take to clients in order to help them recover on a firm foundation.

Peggy Munson, Community Organizer

The problem of domestic abuse in Santa Ana is wide-spread, in fact, it has the highest incidence of domestic violence calls in any major city in the state of California. Newsong Church is located in Santa Ana; it is the community that we love and where we seek to live out the hope of the Gospel message; it is where we focus many of our resources to address the real needs and hurts of people. When the opportunity was presented to us by the leadership of The Mend Project to gain a further understanding of the systemic issues surrounding domestic violence and to receive valuable training for our staff members and key leaders, we enthusiastically welcomed the opportunity.

Without a doubt, everybody that participated in the training event was changed as a result of what was learned. Perhaps the most sobering take-away for many of us was how well-intentioned people can unknowingly subject an abused person to even further abuse and emotional wounding. The Mend Project presentation was informative, practical and provided inspiration for us to move forward with a bit more confidence and some new tools to help us be more aware and effective in our ministry to the community we care so deeply about. It is without reservation that I recommend this training to anyone that shares the concern for the pervasive problem of domestic violence.

Ed Salas, Spiritual Formation Pastor, Newsong Church

The MEND Project is boldly going where few are going. Their training has helped our organization enter conversations around gender equality and covert abuse. Each training module brings clarity to subtle and complex issues of covert and double abuse. The MEND Project’s training is invaluable to any organization attempting to pursue justice and mercy by addressing systemic structures of abuse.

Jack West, Care and Recovery Pastor Mariners Church

Having seen Annette conduct training on Double Abuse, I believe that any church, university, school, or organization would benefit greatly from their curriculum. The MEND Project’s focus on naming hidden abusive tactics and Double Abuse will equip leaders and first responders to feel confident in responding to victims of abuse without doing further harm. This curriculum is critical to fully addressing and preventing abuse.

Jeff Baker, Director of Clinical Education and Associate Clinical Professor of Law Pepperdine University

The MEND Project provided valuable and insightful training to our Licensed Clinical Social Workers. We are so grateful that The MEND Project is addressing the issue of abuse in our society. The training will be indoctrinated into our therapy practice and will be instrumental in breaking the cycle of abuse for our patients. We are hoping that their materials can be translated into Spanish for our Spanish-speaking patients.

Jewel Loff, Vice President – Orange County Rescue Mission