Join us on Wednesday, June 11th, as the AVA Webinar Series presents A Brain Injury Informed Approach to Working with Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence with Candace Stretch and Tori Dach from The Cridge Centre for the Family.
Wednesday, June 11th, 2025
12 – 1:30pm MST
The Cridge Centre for the Family has supported women impacted by intimate partner violence (IPV) for 29 years and survivors of brain injury (BI) for 30 years. In 2019, we launched the IPV-BI Initiative to raise awareness of their intersection through advocacy, research, training, direct services, and prevention.
Each year, an estimated 200,000 Canadian women experience a brain injury due to IPV—most remain undiagnosed and unsupported. The Cridge Centre leads in providing brain injury services tailored to the needs of women affected by IPV, helping them rebuild their lives through daily living support and life skills rehabilitation. Grounded in trauma- and brain injury-informed care, their approach emphasizes safety, adaptability, creativity, and patience.
This webinar shares IPV-BI statistics, lessons from our direct service program, the challenges of integrating brain injury supports into IPV services, ongoing barriers for survivors, and practical tools for frontline workers supporting women with IPV-related brain injuries.
About the Speakers
Candace Stretch is the Manager of Supportive Housing & Family Services at The Cridge Centre for the Family. In her role, Candace combines her Masters in Counselling education with over 15 years experience in the anti-violence sector, to oversee a program that offers housing and support to over 60 women in Greater Victoria. She is passionate about bringing the lived experiences of women fleeing violence into places where real change can happen. Through her work, she has facilitated training sessions about intimate partner violence, women’s housing, violence prevention, and partner-inflicted brain injury. A resident of Victoria for 30 years, Candace enjoys being part of a beautiful city and a vibrant, compassionate community.
Tori (Victoria) Dach is the Assistant Manager of Brain Injury Services at The Cridge Centre for the Family in Victoria BC. She is dedicated to developing and implementing support services for survivors of brain injury. Her passion and work focus on the many intersections of brain injury including intimate partner violence, homelessness, mental health, addiction and the criminal justice system. Tori is also a Registered Clinical Counsellor in BC. She has a special interest working with individuals through grief and loss, trauma, navigating difficult life transitions and healthy relationships. She was born and raised an islander, and loves family time with her husband and kids on the West Coast.