Nada Yorke, LCSW, has a B.A. in Psychology (1984) and an M.S.W (2009) from California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB).  During the course of her twenty-five year career as a probation officer in California, she developed specialized caseloads for identified gang members and high-risk drug offenders, and spent three years a victim advocate in the Victim/Witness unit, focusing on domestic violence cases.  That assignment led to her becoming president of the Domestic Violence Advisory Council to help make systemic changes to improve responses for both victims and perpetrators. After retirement in 2006, she started Yorke Consulting, a company which works with criminal justice agencies as well as treatment providers to provide training, strategic planning and effective domestic violence interventions. Ms. Yorke relocated to Sequim, WA in 2016 and continues to work with professionals at both the national and international level to find workable solutions to stopping family violence.

She is a recognized court expert, authored a 52-week BIP curriculum which utilizes evidence-based clinical interventions, and she developed a measurement tool for providers to evaluate the objective changes of their participants post-intervention.

Research Projects
Nada Yorke implemented a probation-department certified batterers intervention program in a maximum security prison in 2007-09 with 23 voluntary participants who were assigned to the Substance Abuse Program.   She developed a measurement tool to assess the participant’s recognition and acceptance of personal responsibility for committing abusive behaviors (RPRS).  Although the entire program was unable to be implemented (due to institutional restrictions), the results were statistically significant after 23 weeks and the participants highly recommended the program for anyone in a relationship and paroling back into society.  Since many of the participants were serving life sentences, a recidivism study was not conducted.  The research was published in the Journal of Offender Rehabilitation (Oct 2010).
Since the curriculum design for the prison program was so well-received, Ms. Yorke collaborated with a local community-based organization (CBO) who obtained private funding to provide a faith-based, certified batterer intervention program for court-ordered men.  Forty-seven men were enrolled in the pilot project, which included three volunteers.  After 90 days, 90% of the men were still in the program, and after 52-weeks 68% (N=32) graduated. According to the Probation Department, these numbers represented a significant improvement from most other programs which typically had 30-40% retention at the 90-day mark.  The RPRS measurement was given three times and the results were also statistically significant. Recidivism for new domestic violence arrests was evaluated and at 18-months post graduation there were zero arrests for the graduates (N=32), whereas there were three arrests (N=15) for the non-graduates.  At three years, post-graduation, there were three arrests for the graduates and one additional arrest for non-graduates.  The CBO continues to conduct the program and is still experiencing high retention and low recidivism.

Services

Expert Witness and Training

Since 1999, Ms. Yorke has been providing expert witness testimony for both the prosecution and defense, as well as family law cases. She has testified in over 30 trials and is regularly consulted by attorneys, the Courts, and law enforcement, as well as victim advocates and other therapists.   She has also mentored and coached fellow professionals to become expert witness’  in their respective fields.

As a trainer and speaker, Nada has interacted with national and international audiences of therapists, forensic counselors and law enforcement personnel about the issues concerning domestic violence and the value of working with perpetrators to stop the intergenerational cycle of domestic violence.   She served as an appointee to the Behavioral Health Board of Kern County in 2014, in addition to serving on various State and local task forces and professional advisory boards and committees.

With over thirty years of forensic court experience, eighteen of which are specific to domestic violence, Nada has personally trained over 100 people to become batterer intervention facilitators and provides consultation throughout California to programs seeking certification of their batterer intervention programs.  She continues to provide basic and advanced training for facilitators and providers.

Currently, Yorke Consulting is an STC provider to provide training for California probation officers who are tasked with overseeing and assessing batterer intervention programs.

Publications

Based on the positive results from the prison and community-based program, Ms. Yorke’s curriculum “Another Way…Choosing to Change” was published in 2014 and the Participant’s Handbook was recently translated into Spanish.  The curriculum and program design uses evidence-based clinical interventions and address’ criminogenic factors and adverse childhood experiences (ACES).  Motivational Interviewing and Stages of Change model are incorporated in the design and delivery of the material. Research indicates that CBT and DBT are effective for those participants exhibiting borderline and/or antisocial traits/characteristics so both the class design and homework assignments integrate these research-supported interventions.  Participants have evaluated the curriculum as helpful for changing their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors within their interpersonal relationships and reports from their partners and objective measurements have supported their self-assessments.

Yorke, N (2017) Otra Forma de… Elegir el Cambio, Manual del Participante Charleston, South Carolina. Create Space.

Yorke, N. J. (2015). Avoiding Collusion with Batterers through Recognition of Covert Behavior for Better Outcomes in Family Court. J. Am. Acad. Matrimonial Law., 28, 563.

Yorke, N (2014) Another Way…Choosing to Change-Participant’s Handbook. Charleston, South Carolina. Create Space.

Yorke, N.J. (2014) Another Way…Choosing to Change-Facilitator Guide. Charleston, South Carolina. Create Space.

Yorke, N.J., Friedman, B., Hurt, P. (2010) Implementing a Batterer’s Intervention Program in a Correctional Setting: A Tertiary Prevention Model.   Journal of Offender Rehabilitation 49(7), 456-478.