What We Do
Marjaree Mason Center provides emergency and longer-term Safe Housing, along with a wide variety of support services for victims of domestic violence in Fresno County.
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Education & Training
The Marjaree Mason Center offers a variety of education opportunities for those who have experienced domestic violence or for the community at large.
40-Hour Domestic Violence Counselor Training
The The Marjaree Mason Center offers high-quality training led by locally and nationally recognized experts in domestic violence and related fields. Our training programs provide professionals and community members with valuable knowledge, practical skills, and resources to better understand, respond to, and support individuals impacted by domestic violence. This course meets CA Evidence Code 1037.1 for Domestic Violence Counselors.
Course Objective
Educate and train state-certified domestic violence counselors serving Fresno County.
Training Highlights Include:
- Understanding Domestic Violence: History, societal attitudes, cultural competency, and teen dating violence
- Legal Rights & Protections: Civil and criminal law, victim-counselor privilege, and laws protecting the confidentiality of survivor information
- Supporting Survivors: Peer counseling techniques, attachment and trauma-related challenges, and substance use
- Working with Individuals Who Cause Harm: Assessment and intervention considerations
- Professional Well-Being: Secondary trauma and self-care for professionals
- Resources & Referrals: Housing, public assistance, financial resources, and other services available to survivors
Training Schedule
Important: This is a five-day, 40-hour training program. Attendance is required on all five dates to complete the course and receive a certificate of completion.
Dates:
- Monday, September 28, 2026
- Monday, October 5, 2026
- Monday, October 12, 2026
- Monday, October 19, 2026
- Monday, October 26, 2026
Time: 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
Includes a one-hour lunch break.
Location:
Marjaree Mason Center
Isnardi Foundation Building
255 W. Bullard Ave.
Fresno, CA 93704
Registration Details
Registration is required. Space may be limited.
Registration Deadline: Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 5:00 PM
Cost: $300 per person
For registration inquiries after the deadline, please contact [email protected].
To coordinate registration payment by check, please contact [email protected].
Attendance & Certification Requirements
Participants must complete the full 40 hours of training to receive their certificate of completion.
If you are unable to attend any portion of the training, you will not be eligible to receive certification for this training session.
Future Training
Our next 40-Hour Domestic Violence Counselor Training is anticipated for January 2027.
Registration is not yet available. Please check back for future dates and registration information.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who should attend this training?
This training is designed for individuals interested in becoming domestic violence counselors, as well as professionals and community members seeking a deeper understanding of domestic violence and how to support survivors.
- Do I need any previous experience or training?
No previous domestic violence training is required to attend. Participants should review the course requirements to determine whether the training meets their professional or certification needs.
- Do I have to attend all five training days?
Yes. Participants must complete all 40 hours of training to receive a certificate of completion.
- What happens if I miss part of a training day?
Participants must attend the full 40-hour training. Missing any portion of the training will affect eligibility to receive a certificate of completion.
- Is lunch included?
You will have a one-hour lunch break. Lunch will not be provided; however, there are several dining options conveniently located nearby. Please plan accordingly.
- Will I receive a physical certificate after completing the training?
Participants who successfully complete all required training hours will receive a printed certificate of completion to keep.
For more information, please email [email protected].
The Marjaree Mason Center conducts hundreds of community training presentations every year. These presentations include general information about domestic violence, as well as what to do if you suspect someone you know is a victim. Many schools, day-care facilities, healthcare providers, and other agencies have received training.
If you would like to schedule a MMC presentation, please fill out this form, and a representative from the Marjaree Mason Center will be in touch with you.
The kNOw MORE® program currently works within five Fresno County school districts, providing domestic violence education and intervention to teens with the goal of educating youth on the devastating and long-lasting effects of abuse in teen relationships.
kNOw MORE was created as a forum for teens to speak to other teens, utilizing drama, music, real-life situations and statistics of abuse in teen relationships to demonstrate the seriousness of the problem. The primary audience of kNOw MORE presentations is high school-aged youth, however, we also do presentations for teachers, parents and other adults regarding teen dating violence and how to help if a teenager you know is facing this difficult issue. If you are interested in receiving a presentation, contact Jessica Sailor, Prevention and Education Manager, at [email protected] or (559) 246-9587.
Notice: The Marjaree Mason Center (MMC) no longer facilitates the BIP Program. However, all other programs under the Life Transition Program are still being offered.
Child Abuse Intervention Program (CA or CAIP):
The goal of this 52-week course is to “hold people accountable for their choices, help them to understand that they are responsible for their irresponsible behavior, and that they can make healthier, more responsible choices. By doing this, we will help them create a healthier environment for their children. People can choose to stop their abusive behaviors as well as the generational transference of child abuse and neglect.”
Anger Management (CHOICES)
This 12-week class develops the tools and skills needed to manage conflict and maintain healthy relationships. Research on conflict resolution shows that most abusive behaviors are learned, and intervention strategies that have the greatest success focus on changing belief systems and thought patterns, managing and expressing difficult emotions, and substituting emotional and physical abuse with improved communication and healthy, non-violent problem-solving methods. This intervention process is offered through a course of constructive and challenging psycho-educational classes with highly-trained facilitators to assist participants in learning alternative methods of relating to their partners through mutually shared decision-making, interdependence, and equitable distribution of power.
Phoenix Family Violence Intervention Program
A 26-week program that integrates accountability, responsibility, compassion, empathy, self-care, healthy communication, relationship building, anger management skills, and parenting without punishment. Self-referrals are allowed.
Current and Future Clients
Legal Options
The Legal Options Class is free and open to the community. This class can help walk clients through filling out a request for a Domestic Violence Temporary Restraining Order or a Gun Violence Restraining Order. The class also provides an overview of all the various types of restraining orders available, the criminal justice system, safety planning, and other available services. Sessions are held at 1392 4th Street in Clovis and 255 W. Bullard Avenue, Fresno. Click here to learn more.
Scheduled Classes
- Tuesdays - 10:00am Clovis
- Wednesdays - 6:00pm Fresno
- Thursdays - 10:00am Fresno
S.A.F.E. Group
S.A.F.E Group, which stands for Survivors of Abuse: Free and Empowered, is a free 12-week course covering domestic violence, with topics including (but not limited to) defining DV, understanding healthy relationships and the effects of DV on children. This course is held weekly at the Marjaree Mason Center Administration Building and meets court requirements for removing a restraining order. For more information call (559) 233-4357. Sessions are held at 1392 4th Street in Clovis, 255 W. Bullard Ave in Fresno, and 1015 G Street in Reedley.
Scheduled Classes
- Tuesdays - 8:45am - 9:45am (Spanish) Fresno (childcare available)
- Tuesdays - 6:00pm - 7:30pm (English) Fresno
- Wednesdays - 9:00am - 10:30am (English) Reedley
- Wednesdays - 10:45am - 12:00pm (Spanish) Reedley
- Thursdays 9:00am - 10:30am (English) Clovis
- Fridays - 10:30am - 12pm (English) Fresno (childcare available)
Parent Cafe
The course teaches our clients positive parenting techniques; how to promote healthy growing for their children; and discipline tactics for raising a healthy family.
- Tuesdays - 4:00pm - 5:00pm Fresno (childcare available)
Life Skills
For clients staying at Marjaree Mason Center shelters, this Healthy Lifestyles course teaches the often overlooked skills in life like budgeting, time-management, job-hunting and interviewing, self-sufficiency, and self esteem. This course is for shelter clients only.
Expressions Through Art
This course promotes healing through the power of art. Women staying at the Marjaree Mason Center Emergency Shelter draw, sculpt, write, and practice other forms of art to help them express themselves and learn about healing. The shelter also hosts a similar art group for children. This course is for Safe House clients only.
Locations:
Fresno - 255 W. Bullard Avenue, Fresno, CA 93704.
Clovis - 1392 4th Street, Clovis, CA 93612.
Reedley - 1015 G St, Reedley, CA 93654.