General responsibilities: As a member of the SDVSAS shelter staff team, the shelter advocate provides trauma informed emotional support and advocacy services to victims of domestic violence and their children. Services include crisis intervention, safety planning, resource referral, parenting support, child advocacy, basic legal advocacy, and assistance with housing resources.
Provide direct services to clients including crisis intervention, advocacy-based counseling, legal and…

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The Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs invites you to become a member. We are a statewide, nonprofit membership organization of Sexual Assault / Rape Crisis Programs and supportive individuals committed to the elimination of sexual violence.

As a member of WCSAP you have the opportunity to strengthen the coalition through feedback, sharing expertise and participating in activities. Your involvement at regional meetings and the annual membership meeting helps to create a…

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A guide for developing tools to assess for sexual assault within the context of domestic violence¹

1. Rapport should be built with the victim before screening questions are asked.
2. Questions should use specific language when referring to the crime. Words such as hurt, threatened, or forced should be clarified by the interviewer (i.e. did they hurt you vs. did they hit or push you).
3. Due to rape myths, some victims of intimate…

Our advocates provide comprehensive advocacy services to victim/survivors of sex trafficking in Benton/Franklin counties from pre-disclosure through restoration in a faith-based organization. We provide innovative, trauma-informed, wrap-around, intensive case management for victims identified through local agencies, outreach, referral, or our 24/7 hotline.

As an adult, Erin has spent the majority of her career working with young people, through volunteer work, in after school programs and as a sexual assault advocate and preventionist at an LGBTQ youth-serving organization in Pierce County, WA. More recently, Erin worked as the Training Specialist for the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, where she trained new advocates throughout Washington State and was able to collaborate on prevention projects as well as youth advocacy…

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Risk Factors

Risk factors are factors associated with a greater likelihood of sexual violence perpetration. They should not be considered direct causes but instead as underlying or contributing factors. Research on known risk factors can be used in combination with community-specific guidance in order to create a tailored program that is also informed by best practice research. It should also be noted that some risk factors for perpetration are much more modifiable than others;…

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Oversees all prevention, outreach and education programs regarding victim issues in Stevens County. Plans and organizes prevention and awareness campaigns for all crime categories. Provides training to a variety of audiences throughout the county. Manages youth led prevention and outreach activities. Serves as primary RPE preventionist.

Laurie Schacht has been providing support to survivors of sexual assault through the YWCA Clark County since 2001. Throughout that time she has co-facilitated psychoeducational support groups, co-trained facilitators, and grown in her knowledge and understanding of groups, appreciating the unique healing opportunity that groups can offer survivors. Laurie recognizes what an honor and a responsibility it is to hold space for survivors as they courageously share their healing journey with one…

There is a great deal of information related to the responsibility of colleges and universities to protect students and address sexual violence on campus. This information can be overwhelming to advocates and survivors alike. As advocates, our role is to focus on empowerment and choice with survivors and to know where to find information and resources related to campus systems, rather than memorizing the depth of federal law and policy.

Advocacy & Confidentiality

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WCSAP is very pleased to present to you the most recent edition of the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs Advocate Core Instructor’s Training Manual (2016). The revised edition is an easy to read format that contains:

• Introduction and Instructor’s Overview
• Storyboard and Checklist
• Storyboard that shows what lessons correspond with WCSAP online modules
• Day One: Philosophical Foundations
• Day Two: Dynamics and…

Maddesyn George is a young Native mother, a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes, and a survivor of sexual and domestic violence. She has been incarcerated since July 2020 for defending herself against her attacker. Instead of receiving support after suffering a traumatic experience, Maddesyn was incarcerated and denied bail, and separated from her infant daughter and community. She is being prosecuted by the U.S. federal government. Maddesyn has accepted a plea deal and is currently…

The Safe Housing Manager ensures that DVSAS Safe Housing services are survivor-centered and trauma-informed, with programming that supports healing, well-being, safety, and agency for survivors. This position has authority to develop and maintain Safe Housing Program procedures and systems that are in line with agency policies and philosophies. The Safe Housing Manager functions in a supervisory capacity for members of the Safe Housing Team and of the overall Safe Housing Program, and is…

Riddhi Mukhopadhyay is the Director of the Sexual Violence Law Center in Washington State. She has represented victims of sexual violence, specializing in working with clients with challenges in accessing justice based on mental illness, developmental disabilities, limited English proficiency, and immigration status. Prior to SVLC, Riddhi worked at the Pierce County Department of Assigned Counsel (DAC), representing individuals with mental health issues in criminal defense and in civil…

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