About Us

The Pennsylvania Victim Services Training (PVST) website is a statewide learning management system operated by PCCD’s Office of Victims’ Services and maintained by Penn State Harrisburg. Courses on the PVST are developed by field experts and vary in content and complexity, ranging from foundational discussions of victimology to advanced topics for seasoned service providers. The courses provide training for victim service providers, directors, and other allied professionals. Areas of focus include introductory victim topics, working with Pennsylvania’s diverse population, victims’ rights and issues, and effective practices for service provision, among others. Other courses are designed to improve board recruitment, retention and development, and other leadership skills for victim service organizations.

The goal of the PVST is to provide accessible training modules that empower learners to provide trauma-informed, victim-centered services in Pennsylvania for all levels and types of service provision. Many courses include supplemental links, printable resource documents, and other materials related to the course topic.

New for 2023: In September 2023, the Pennsylvania Victim Services Training website launched with new updates, expanding the learning experience for users. The updated website offers a one-stop-shop for professionals in the victim services field to have easy access to trainings and resources, enhancing learning and collaborative opportunities for all types of roles in victim services.

• Victim Services Trainings: Courses categorized as Victim Services Trainings can be used to meet PCCD’s Training Standard for Victim Advocates and Foundational Academy Online Training requirements. When you complete a Victim Services Training, you will receive a completion certificate that can be downloaded as a PDF to verify your successful completion of these courses. Your completion certificates can be accessed at any time by logging in to your account.
• Leadership and Governance Trainings: You will receive a certificate for completing courses categorized as Leadership and Governance Trainings, but note that these DO NOT COUNT toward PCCD’s Training Standard for Victim Advocates or Foundational Academy Online Training requirements. If you complete these courses after logging in, your completion certificates can be accessed at any time by logging in to your account. If you complete these courses without an account, your completion certificates must be downloaded immediately upon course completion. You will not have an option to access these certificates at a later time, so creating an account is recommended.
• Supplemental Trainings: You will NOT receive a completion certificate for completing Supplemental Trainings, as these trainings are hosted on an external site and do not count toward PCCD’s Training Standard for Victim Advocates or Foundational Academy Online Training Requirements.
• Attorney Trainings: Learners completing Attorney Trainings will receive completion certificates for each course they complete. However, Attorney Trainings DO NOT COUNT toward PCCD’s Training Standard for Victim Advocates or Foundational Academy Online Training Requirements. Note that you will need an 8-character Group Key to access the Attorney Trainings, which can be obtained from your program director or from PCCD.

PCCD has partnered with Penn State Harrisburg since 2012 to create courses based on current and emerging needs for victim services provision in Pennsylvania. Penn State Harrisburg collaborates with PCCD and subject matter experts throughout the Commonwealth to create courses and training modules for victim service provision, as well as modules about leadership and governance for victim service organizations. Notifications are sent to all learners when new courses are released.

The course topics on the PVST are determined based on several factors. PCCD’s Victims Services Advisory Committee conducts periodic needs assessments of the field to gather information about training needs and gaps in services. PCCD staff also gather a variety of information through program monitoring, review of progress reports, and collection of anecdotal information. PCCD also factors in state and federal legislative requirements, feedback from victims who utilize services, and input from our colleagues at other state agencies, coalitions, and organizations.

The courses on the PVST provide information for assisting victims and survivors of crime in Pennsylvania. Many courses focus on service provision within the context of the Commonwealth’s laws, policies, and service structures. Many also provide evidence-based best practices in victim service provision. Other courses are designed to improve board recruitment, retention and development, and other leadership skills for victim service organizations.

Each training incorporates discussion and application of the principles and skills taught. The courses are designed to develop victim-centered, trauma-informed practices, as well as cultural competencies that include, but are not limited to, race, ethnicity, age, gender expression and identity, sexual orientation, language, and faith beliefs. Many courses engage the learner in practical application of knowledge through the use of case studies. Courses also include supplemental links, printable resource documents, and other materials related to the course topic.

PCCD works collaboratively with the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV), the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR), and the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association (PCPA), among other victim-centered organizations throughout the Commonwealth. The training modules on the PVST are intended to complement, reinforce, or enhance the online offerings on the learning management systems operated by PCADV, PCAR, and PCPA.

PVST courses can be accessed by creating an account. To create an account, learners must enter a valid email address and select their associated victim service organization.

Courses on the PVST are designed to be completed as the learner’s schedule permits. Students may log in and out of the training website to review the trainings at any time. As the PVST is a web-based training, learners can complete the trainings wherever they have access to a web browser. When a learner logs back into the PVST, they can resume in-progress courses where they left off. Learners may also review completed course materials and access previously completed course certificates.

For additional information about creating a new account and completing courses, visit the Help Center.

PVST courses are grouped into several categories.

Victim Services Trainings include information about working directly with victims and survivors of crime in Pennsylvania. Victim Services Trainings can be used to meet both PCCD’s Training Standard for Victim Advocates and the Foundational Academy Online Training Requirements.

Victim Services Trainings are organized into four broad topics, indicated by the first three characters of the course numbers.

• VIC: Victim Services (Introductory Courses for New Staff)
• CUL: Working with Special Victims Populations
• ISS: Victims’ Rights and Issues
• ACT: Effective Practices for Service Provision

Courses can be searched by keywords of interest using the search bar in the course catalog.

Leadership and Governance Trainings include information about organizational capacity, management, and board development for victim service organization leaders.

Supplemental Trainings are additional courses that supplement the information provided on the PVST about service provision. They are hosted outside of the PVST and do not count for credit.

Attorney Trainings are pre-recorded webinars that focus on the attorney’s role in working with victims. Note that you will need an 8-character Group Key to access the Attorney Trainings, which can be obtained from your program director or from PCCD.

The Institute of State and Regional Affairs at Penn State Harrisburg, administrator of the Pennsylvania Victim Services Training (PVST) site, is committed to providing its users with good privacy practices regarding electronic personal information (name, email address, and organization name). The PVST site utilizes TalentLMS, a cloud-based software system, and data are hosted on TalentLMS’s servers. See TalentLMS’s privacy statement for more information at https://www.talentlms.com/privacy. Further, some user, course, and site data are accessible to the Penn State team through Penn State’s Azure Managed Account which is run in compliance with University Security procedures and policies, accessible at https://security.psu.edu/awareness/psu-policies.

Information collected through TalentLMS is used to provide timely communication and training suggestions to learners, as well as to construct personalized and aggregate reports that assist in the planning and development of training courses. User, course, and site information is accessible only by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, staff at the Institute of State and Regional Affairs at Penn State Harrisburg, and TalentLMS. All data is for internal use only and will not be shared publicly or with other organizations.

Visit our Help Center for more information about the website, step-by-step help guides, and contact information.