Millicent Starnes Recovery Institute (MSR Institute)
Raising the Standard of Care for Survivors of Sexual Violence

Mission Statement

The Millicent Starnes Recovery Institute exists to end sexual violence and transform survivor care through trauma-informed education, professional training, and survivor-led advocacy. We are committed to empowering individuals, institutions, and communities to respond to sexual abuse trauma with integrity, empathy, and excellence—especially in cases involving severe, complex, or underserved survivors.

Our mission is to raise the standard of care—from prevention to restoration—by equipping professionals and uplifting survivors with evidence-based, culturally competent, and faith-informed solutions that foster justice, healing, and lifelong transformation. We strive to eradicate sexual violence and empower survivors—especially those affected by severe and complex trauma—to experience full, lifelong healing.

The MSR Institute was founded in 2024 by nationally accredited victim advocate Millicent Starnes, is a national leader in trauma-informed education, survivor advocacy, and professional training.

Our History

The Millicent Starnes Recovery Institute (MSR Institute) was founded in 2024 by nationally accredited victim advocate and survivor Millicent Starnes. After more than a decade of working in the trenches of advocacy, crisis response, and survivor care, Millicent recognized a heartbreaking reality: survivors of sexual violence—especially those navigating the most severe and complex trauma—were often left without the proper education, support, or systems needed to effectively heal. Millicent’s journey began with her own survival story—one marked by personal trauma, betrayal, and a long path toward healing. Turning her pain into purpose, she became a powerful voice in the fight against sexual violence, first co-founding Naomi’s House of Hope, a nonprofit serving survivors of domestic violence. There, she saw the urgent need for specialized care for those who had experienced rape, child sexual abuse, human trafficking, and other forms of extreme trauma. She also saw the lack of trauma-informed training among professionals who were meant to help.

Determined to raise the standard of care, Millicent envisioned a bold, survivor-led institute where advocacy, education, and restoration could intersect. In 2024, that vision became reality with the launch of the Millicent Starnes Recovery Institute.

MSR Institute Is Built on These Core Beliefs:

• Survivors deserve more than survival—they deserve full restoration.

• Education is a frontline defense against injustice.

• No trauma is too severe for hope, healing, and transformation.

• Those who serve survivors must be trained with integrity, empathy, and truth.

Since its founding, MSR Institute has become a force in:

• Trauma-informed training for victim advocates, therapists, clergy, legal professionals, and medical teams

• Faith-based healing programs for survivors, including those incarcerated

• Public awareness campaigns aimed at ending rape culture and advancing survivor justice

• Long-term plans to develop a full-service trauma recovery center that will serve as a national model for holistic healing

Rooted in faith and fueled by justice, the MSR Institute stands as a refuge for survivors and a training ground for advocates.

What began as one woman’s vision is now a growing movement to transform how the world sees, hears, and heals survivors of sexual violence.