Workshops on “Sensitive Caring” and “Preventing Sexual Violence and Responding to Disclosures” will be offered to community members, providers, and informal supports across the Strait Area. You may be wondering why you would participate in one of the workshops, or thinking that there is no need to participate given that you don’t, or have never, come into contact with victims/survivors of sexual violence. The reality, however, is that one in three women and one in six men have experienced sexual violence, meaning that the majority of us have, knowingly or unknowingly, come into contact with someone who has been impacted.

Sensitive Caring Workshop

One of the primary reasons that contact with victims/survivors remains unknown is that the majority of victims/survivors do not disclose their experience. It may be that victims/survivors do not understand why they feel the way that they do, it may be that they do not know what to say, it may be that they fear not being believed, it may be that they feel immense shame—no matter the situation, as community members, providers, and informal supports, it is important to recognize our role in sexual violence response and prevention, which begins with sensitive caring. Let’s begin with one example. As many dentists, dental hygienists, and community members know, dental phobia is a reality for many individuals, experiencing nervousness and tension leading up to, and during, dental appointments. What many do not realize, however, is that for victims/survivors of sexual violence, this may be further compounded by the sensory sensitivity of their oral area and pre-existing trauma. Not only does this manifest in discomfort at the time of the dental session, but without requisite training, the provider may unknowingly increase the victim/survivor’s risk for re-traumatization. This is only one of a myriad of examples, which is why this training is not only for providers—such as counsellors, therapists, doctors, social workers—but also informal supports, such as teachers, coworkers, coaches, and others, who knowingly and unknowingly come into contact with victims/survivors. Topics such as respectful and trauma-informed caring, building awareness and knowledge of sexual violence, victim/survivor-oriented rapport-building, sharing control throughout appointments or encounters, and much more, will be covered in these sessions, and tailored to specific audiences.

Preventing Sexual Violence and Responding to Disclosures Workshop

These sessions will also be offered to community members, providers, and informal supports across the Strait Area. In many ways, you can think of this workshop as answering key questions, such as: what does sexual violence look like across the Strait Area? How can it be prevented? Where do I start? If a victim/survivor discloses sexual violence, what do I do? How do I react? Do I help? Where do they go? Should I accompany them? What is my responsibility? What information can I provide? How can I support the victim/survivor? Whether these are questions that you have asked yourself before, or those that you have never had to ask, consider being prepared to assist yourself, a friend, family member, neighbour, coworker, fellow student, or stranger.

All sessions will take place across the Strait Area throughout 2019. They will be conducted by trained staff and developed with the support of experts within respective fields. For a list of scheduled workshops, and to sign-up, please check back in March 2019. If you are interested in scheduling a workshop, please get in touch.