Beyond Violence+ / Beyond Anger and Violence+:
Programs for Women and Gender-Diverse People

2026 Open Enrollment Virtual Training Opportunity

Dr. Covington’s newly updated innovative programs Beyond Violence+ (for criminal justice settings) and Beyond Anger and Violence+ (for community settings) are evidence-based interventions for women and gender diverse people that focus on anger, utilizing a multi-level approach and a variety of therapeutic strategies. This virtual training is open to the general public. Space will be limited for this interactive virtual training.

Training on the new editions of Beyond Violence+: A Prevention Program for Justice-Involved Women and Gender-Diverse People and Beyond Anger and Violence+: A Program for Women and Gender-Diverse People!

We live in a world where anger and violence are all around us. These are in the news, on our television shows and in our motion pictures, and often in our families and relationships. Anger is usually connected to violence and, in some cases, leads to violence. Even though anger is the most common emotion, many people find it difficult to understand and regulate it. Beyond Violence+: A Prevention Program for Justice-Involved Women and Gender-Diverse People and Beyond Anger and Violence+: A Program for Women and Gender-Diverse People are programs for women and gender-diverse people who struggle with anger and/or violence issues. Beyond Violence+ focuses on women who are involved in the criminal justice system, and Beyond Anger and Violence+ focuses on women in community programs. There are many overlaps across the approaches, and this combined training will help differentiate between them.

Anger itself is not a problem; how it is manifested or expressed often creates a problem. A core piece of the work in Beyond Violence+ and Beyond Anger and Violence+ is to help individuals identify their anger, how they deal with it, and its effects on their lives. The participants learn to develop ways of managing their anger in ways that do not cause them problems. The program is structured to work on two levels: one is the anger that the women experience in whatever forms; the other is the anger and violence they have experienced from others.

 

This 4-day (5 hours per day) virtual training is designed to explain and explore the topics of anger on multiple levels: the personal level (the anger they feel), the relationship level, including anger directed toward them, and the effects of anger and violence in our communities and society at large. This live interactive training integrates the evidence-based practices of cognitive-behavioral, relational, mindfulness, and expressive-arts therapeutic techniques into a holistic approach to anger and violence.

Presenters

This training is conducted by our Certified Trainers Patricia E. Gallegos, PhD, the Managing Director of Compliance for a statewide health care organization and Eileen Russo, MA, LADC, professor (emeritus) and retired program coordinator for the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Counselor program with Gateway Community College in New Haven, CT. Throughout this interactive training, your trainers also discuss how the treatment program materials can be used with women in the criminal justice system.  

May 6, 8, 13, and 15, 2026 (4-day training, 5 hours per day on Wednesdays & Fridays)   

Download Agenda

  • 12 pm - 5 pm Eastern Time
  • 11 am - 4 pm Central Time
  • 10 am - 3 pm Mountain Time
  •   9 am - 2 pm Pacific Time

Register

Next Steps

  • View our Zoom Participant Guide for helpful suggestions to prepare for the training, as well as our Training FAQ page.
  • $490 per person.  Deadline to register:  May 5, 2026
  • We do provide continuing education credits (CE's).  Please see below for additional information.
  • Purchase Orders:  If organizations want to register multiple people using a Purchase Order, please email your request to training@stephaniecovington.com for more information.
  • For additional information, such as cancellation policies, CE certificates, etc., please visit our Training FAQ page.

Topics

  • Research on women and gender-diverse people who commit violent/aggressive crimes
  • Theoretical foundation of Beyond Violence+ and Beyond Anger and Violence+ 
  • Process of trauma
  • Emotional regulation
  • Relationship between trauma and violence
  • Use of What I Want My Words To Do To You DVD

Objectives

  • Define gender-responsive and trauma-informed services
  • Describe the Social-Ecological model of violence
  • Discuss differences between women and men and anger
  • Demonstrate various therapeutic techniques
  • Implement the Beyond Violence+ or Beyond Anger and Violence+ curricula
  • Understand the connection between trauma and SUDs

  • Stephanie Covington has really done it this time! She has developed a curriculum on anger and violence that does not actually emphasize “managing” anger at all.  Rather, she accompanies women and gender-diverse people as they move behind their anger to see where it comes from and beyond it to create new relationships and envision new communities. This [program offers] a participant’s workbook and a facilitator’s guide literally jam-packed with information, activities, and ideas that will engage people in their own exploration.  It is an inviting and easy-to-follow curriculum that sacrifices none of the straightforward and honest language necessary for women and others to grow beyond their anger and violence.

    - Roger Fallot, PhD, Director of Research & Evaluation (retired)
    Community Connections
    Washington, DC

  • Beyond Anger and Violence+ provides information, tools and skills to energize women in their healing journey. Concrete strategies help them move beyond the grip of anger and the destructiveness of violence toward self-realization and empowerment. It is an important addition to any provider’s tool kit!

    Beyond Violence+ addresses a widely ignored but crucial aspect of women’s healing as they traverse through the criminal justice system. It provides a tangible and effective path for women to move beyond the grip of anger and the destructiveness of violence toward self-realization and empowerment. It is an important addition to any provider’s tool kit!

    - Lorraine Robinson, MSW
    Former Executive Director
    Ka Hale Ho`ala Hou No Na Wahine (the home of reawakening for women)
    Honolulu, Hawaii

  • With creativity, depth, and wisdom, Dr. Covington builds on her previous evidence-based work to create an updated and inclusive intervention specifically designed with and for women, transgender, and nonbinary people who have been incarcerated for violent crimes, the majority of whom are victims of violence themselves. Part of what is so compelling about Stephanie’s work is the ease with which she distills such a vast wealth of knowledge and experience—including up-to-date research, cutting-edge theory, clinical expertise, and the voices of women talking about their lives—into such a clear, accessible, and profoundly touching and effective treatment program. With grace, honesty, and compassion, Beyond Violence+ offers an island of reflection and safety for people to explore the impact of violence on their lives, develop new understanding and skills, and create a larger sense of community to support and nurture these changes.

    - Carole Warshaw, MD
    Director, National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health
    Executive Director, Domestic Violence & Mental Health Policy Initiative Chicago, IL

  • A pioneer in trauma-informed and gender-responsive treatment for prisoners, Covington has brought an immensely important, timely, and valuable resource to the field. Beyond Violence+ offers an updated approach to working with imprisoned women that is an easily adaptable resource. Beyond Violence+ provides the opportunity for incarcerated women to understand and relate their own experiences to their justice system involvement and begin a journey toward recovery. It addresses substance abuse disorders and gender diversity, as well as trauma, in new and insightful ways.   Covington’s work is thoughtful, sensitive, and well-organized. It provides facilitators with tools that are understandable and useable. Her work is, as always, smart and on target.

    - Martin F. Horn
    Distinguished Lecturer, John Jay College of Criminal Justice,
    New York, NY; former Secretary of Corrections, State of Pennsylvania
    and former Correction Commissioner, City of New York

  • With Beyond Violence +, Dr. Covington has again developed a curriculum –that is timely, insightful, and thoughtful in its contribution to the healing and hope of incarcerated individuals. The focus on women and gender-diverse populations provides a powerful tool for trained facilitators to guide participants through a journey of hope that “sees” the person in all their complexity and woundedness. The attention to self-care, safety in self-disclosure, and the many guiding exercises allow for measured yet profound insights. Dr. Covington makes an immeasurable contribution to impacting lives that can thrive beyond the violence and pain of their past.  This updated work fills a need for thoughtful practitioners committed to supporting women and diverse populations as they heal.

    - Andie Moss
    Founder and CEO 
    The Moss Group, Inc.

  • Dr. Covington has dedicated her career to advocating for women and girls who are incarcerated (and otherwise caught up in the system). Her passion and brilliance have never wavered, with each new publication and training providing the latest research for assisting this still too often invisible and neglected population. Dr. Covington continues to challenge the status quo and sees these women and girls as much more than the society and systems that oppress them. I'm thrilled that she is releasing this new work that is, once again, stellar!

    - Joanne Belknap, Ph.D.
    Professor Emerita of Ethnic Studies, University of Colorado-Boulder
    Past President and Fellow of the American Society of Criminology
    Author of The Invisible Woman: Gender, Crime, and Justice (currently in its 5th edition)

  • Instructors were very knowledgeable and many participants were helpful in providing perspective. Going through the exercises ourselves makes it much easier to implement with clients. Overall, this course did an excellent job acknowleging the all facets of gender-responsive care as it relates to correctional settings.

    - Catherine D

  • I have been in many trainings before and this one is definitely one of my top ones. The facilitators were very knowledgable, shared their own experiences when running groups, and were very receptive to training participant questions.

    - Desiree E

    Materials

    All handouts and information required for this training are included in the registration fee. Obtaining the program materials for this training is not required.  After you register, you will be sent a link for the training as well as a printable PDF of the PowerPoint and any handouts that are used during the training. 

    However, we suggest that each person attending the training obtain a copy of the Participant's Workbook to view during the training to enhance your learning experience. Those leading groups after the training will also want a copy of the Facilitator's Guide (which includes a workbook). You can obtain materials from either Covington Books or the publisher.   

    Note that Beyond Anger and Violence+ may not be available to purchase in time for this training; it will be released later this year.

    Community Version: Table of Contents Coming Soon

    Criminal Justice Version: Table of Contents

    The facilitator’s manual is a step-by-step guide containing the theory, structure, and content needed for running groups. The participant’s workbook allows women to process and record the therapeutic experience. The materials are designed to be user-friendly and self-instructive. This allows the Beyond Violence+ and Beyond Anger and Violence+ programs to be implemented by staff with a wide range of training and experience.

    NAADAC continuing education credits (CE’s)

    Dr. Stephanie S. Covington is a NAADAC Approved Education provider, provider number 250526.  For more information, please visit http://www.naadac.org/providers.

    Attendees of this training will receive 18 NAADAC continuing education credits (CEs).  Attendees must attend all 4 days, 4.5 hours per day plus complete the evaluation form at the end of the training to receive credit.  The following organizations and boards approve NAADAC CEs: http://www.naadac.org/naadac-ce-approvals

    Social Workers (ASWB) Credit Designation

    Stephanie S. Covington, LLC dba Center for Gender & Justice, provider number 2033, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 9/25/25 - 9/25/28. Social workers completing this course receive 18 continuing education credits. 

    The following jurisdictions approve ASWB Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program CEs:  https://www.aswb.org/licenses/ace-approved-continuing-education/

    This virtual training is open to the general public, but space is limited for this interactive training so register now.

    We have a wide variety of people attend our trainings from licensed professionals (Masters and Doctorial Level) as well as paraprofessionals and peer-facilitators.  Because professionals tend to work in interdisciplinary teams, this course is created for social workers, counselors, therapists, clinical supervisors, correctional professionals, and program administrators.

    Register Now!

    NAADAC and ASWB do not allow for partial CE credit; therefore, we cannot issue partial CE certificates.

    Training, consulting, and programming for public agencies, organizations, and institutions.

    1201 Camino Del Mar, Suite 204, Del Mar, CA 92014  •  858.454.8528  
    The Covington Training Institute is proud to be a women-owned organization dedicated to advancing healing-centered, equity-driven systems of care.

    © Stephanie S. Covington, PhD, LCSW