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Victim advocate skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Alexis Henderson M.S., OTR/L, CLT, OCC,
Dr. Thomas Dearden Ph.D.
Victim advocate example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical victim advocate skills. We ranked the top skills for victim advocates based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.6% of victim advocate resumes contained crime victims as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a victim advocate needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 victim advocate skills for your resume and career

1. Crime Victims

Here's how victim advocates use crime victims:
  • Participate in public awareness, outreach and educational presentations concerning advocacy for crime victims and crime prevention; including annual observances.
  • Foster a cooperative working relationship with various community service agencies to enhance delivery of services to crime victims.

2. Safety Planning

Safety рlаnnіng іѕ a рrосеѕѕ оf evaluating the rіѕkѕ and bеnеfіtѕ of various орtіоnѕ аnd identifying ways tо rеduсе the rіѕkѕ should an adverse event arise. This іnсludеѕ planning fоr a futurе crisis, rеvіеwіng оnеѕ орtіоnѕ, аnd mаkіng dесіѕіоnѕ аbоut whаt to dо nеxt.

Here's how victim advocates use safety planning:
  • Provide information and referrals for community resources and assist clients with safety planning, identifying options and problem-solving.
  • Provided crisis intervention, advocacy, safety planning, information and referral to survivors of domestic violence.

3. Criminal Justice

Here's how victim advocates use criminal justice:
  • Maintained cooperative working relationships with domestic violence victim services, appropriate criminal justice programs, social services and alcohol/drug abuse programs.
  • Provided case management for survivors of sexual assault including crisis intervention, referrals and accompaniment throughout the criminal justice system.

4. Social Work

Here's how victim advocates use social work:
  • Mentored Colorado State University students in developing social work skills.
  • Designed Attorney/Advocate/Social Worker protocol for the Child Abuse Prosecution Unit.

5. Advocacy Services

Here's how victim advocates use advocacy services:
  • Provided professional and comprehensive advocacy services to military and civilian victims/survivors of sexual assault/sexual harassment, and domestic violence.
  • Developed and delivered presentations regarding advocacy services throughout the installation meeting the yearly and quarterly soldier training requirements.

6. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how victim advocates use mental health:
  • Determined eligibility for services and authorized, referred and/or coordinated necessary services for clients, including mental health services.
  • Arranged referrals for specialized medical exams and trauma informed mental health providers.

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7. Sexual Assault Victims

Here's how victim advocates use sexual assault victims:
  • Provide advocacy to domestic abuse and sexual assault victims and support services to individuals associated with military personnel.
  • Provided immediate, in-person immediate crisis counseling for sexual assault victims during their forensic exams.

8. Community Resources

Community resources are a set of resources that are used in the day to day life of people which improves their lifestyle in some way. People, sites or houses, and population assistance can come under the services offered by community resources.

Here's how victim advocates use community resources:
  • Maintain referral directory of available community resources and facilitate communication between agencies involved with child victim and his/her family.
  • Provided full-spectrum case management services by integrating legal and community resources for at-risk families and victims of domestic violence.

9. Crisis Intervention

Here's how victim advocates use crisis intervention:
  • Provided crisis intervention, coordination of counseling, emergency assistance information, referrals, and general information to the public.
  • Accompanied victim and family through forensic medical exam process Provided crisis intervention and counseling referrals to victims and family members

10. Financial Assistance

Financial assistance refers to governmental assistance one may receive for a variety of reasons. This help is typically in the form of money, whether a loan, scholarship, grant, or reduced taxes provided to an individual or organization. One of the more common forms of financial assistance is student loans, which offer many prospective students a chance for higher education.

Here's how victim advocates use financial assistance:
  • Assist victims with filing Protective Orders, obtaining financial assistance, and various other services/resources they may need.
  • Supplied resources for financial assistance, social services, vocational and educational services for 70% of residents.

11. Domestic Violence Victims

Here's how victim advocates use domestic violence victims:
  • Provided domestic violence victims with comprehensive support services creating opportunities to pursue legal actions against alleged attacker/s
  • Provided emotional support and reassurance to sexual assault and domestic violence victims.

12. Emotional Support

At its core, emotional support involves providing support, reassurance, acceptance, love, and encouragement. It is especially important in a time of stress/sadness as it stabilizes an individual and provides a positive foundation for trust. Honing this skill is important for individuals who want to pursue the career of caregivers and emotional support nurses. Their job includes monitoring mental health and helping patients to handle any mental challenge.

Here's how victim advocates use emotional support:
  • Facilitated necessary medical treatment, made hospital visits, provided emotional support and advocated for victim to medical professionals.
  • Implemented professional intervention in an effort to ensure all victims of sexual assault received professional guidance and emotional support.

13. Law Enforcement Agencies

Here's how victim advocates use law enforcement agencies:
  • Collaborated with Tulsa County Multidisciplinary team members, law enforcement agencies and courts for investigative purposes.
  • Worked with all law enforcement agencies, the medical examiner and community based organizations.

14. Child Abuse

When a child who is under 18 is mistreated by an adult, it is considered child abuse. There are many forms of intentional harm and mistreatment for example physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, medical abuse, and neglect in providing adequate basic life necessities.

Here's how victim advocates use child abuse:
  • Provide emergency legal advocacy by filing temporary restraining orders, injunctions, elder abuse petitions and child abuse petitions.
  • Provide intervention services throughout the investigation and prosecution for primary and secondary victims of child abuse.

15. Community Agencies

Community agencies stand for the organizations operated to provide human service in the community.

Here's how victim advocates use community agencies:
  • Developed an economic empowerment program for eligible participants; utilized community agencies to provide in depth training at our service center.
  • Collaborated with community agencies and organizations to improve the community response to and services for victims/survivors of sexual assault.
top-skills

What skills help Victim Advocates find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What victim advocate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Alexis Henderson M.S., OTR/L, CLT, OCCAlexis Henderson M.S., OTR/L, CLT, OCC LinkedIn profile

Experiential Learning Coordinator, Website

Never take the first salary offer but also do not get hung up on salary right out of the gate. Remember that helping professions are about more than money. Take every single continuing education and training opportunity that comes your way or that you can find. Training and becoming a master at your craft is how you increase your salary most productively!

What type of skills will young victim advocates need?

Dr. Thomas Dearden Ph.D.Dr. Thomas Dearden Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor of Sociology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Indeed, the way we work is changing. The skills that young graduates will need are diverse. Transferable skills and soft skills will certainly be marketable. These include traditional crafts such as communication, but I also think the world expects more empathy from its employees. Young graduates with an understanding of racism, sexism, and environmental responsibility will become increasingly important.

What hard/technical skills are most important for victim advocates?

Kacie Blalock Ph.D.

Associate Professor; Director, Master of Counseling, Louisiana State University at Shreveport

It is important that counselors are able to effectively take notes and summarize progress, interpret assessments, memorize and recall information, and keep clear yet concise records.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about victim advocate

List of victim advocate skills to add to your resume

Victim advocate skills

The most important skills for a victim advocate resume and required skills for a victim advocate to have include:

  • Crime Victims
  • Safety Planning
  • Criminal Justice
  • Social Work
  • Advocacy Services
  • Mental Health
  • Sexual Assault Victims
  • Community Resources
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Financial Assistance
  • Domestic Violence Victims
  • Emotional Support
  • Law Enforcement Agencies
  • Child Abuse
  • Community Agencies
  • Victim Services
  • Victim Advocacy
  • Community Outreach
  • Direct Services
  • Emergency Shelter
  • Protective Orders
  • Court Process
  • Support Services
  • Police Reports
  • Crisis Line
  • Sexual Abuse
  • Victim Compensation
  • DOD
  • Court Proceedings
  • Court Hearings
  • Management System
  • Domestic Abuse
  • Legal Process
  • Criminal Cases
  • Crisis Calls
  • Advocacy Program
  • Crisis Situations
  • Legal Advocacy
  • Court System
  • Victim Assistance
  • Family Violence
  • Medical Treatment
  • Legal Procedures
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Crisis Hotline
  • Community Awareness
  • Child Victims
  • Statistical Data
  • Parent Support

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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