Tips & Guides

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A Guide for Conducting Effective Psychoeducational Support Groups, Second Edition 2014
PDF & Printed Materials
June, 2014

A particularly successful method of working with survivors of sexual assault and trauma is by bringing survivors together in groups. Groups are an effective tool in providing support, validation, connection, healing, empathy, and giving hope. At the core of all sexual assault is disempowerment and disconnection. To assist in recovery, empowerment and connection is key.

It is amazing to witness the transformation that many survivors make because of these groups — because they realize…

Topic
  • Support Groups
To Children’s Sexual Behaviors
WCSAP Webpage
May, 2014

Community sexual assault programs may receive inquiries from parents, caregivers, and professionals about how to understand and respond to children's sexual behaviors. It may be helpful to think about children's sexual behaviors as existing on a continuum — some sexual behaviors are healthy and normal, some are problematic, and others may become abusive. The resources below can help parents and professionals identify which behaviors are developmentally appropriate, which behaviors may be…

Topic
  • Parents & Caregivers
A New Study
WCSAP Webpage
December, 2013

An unpublished report based on a Department of Justice study titled "Preventing Revictimization in Teen Dating Relationships" has just been released, and contains some thought-provoking results. The study was conducted under the direction of Dr. Anne P. DePrince of the Traumatic Stress Studies Group of the University of Denver. Briefly, they conducted research with high-risk adolescent girls involved in the child welfare system, with the goal of preventing revictimization. They tested two…

Topic
  • CSA Prevention
Requirement in Washington State
WCSAP Webpage
November, 2013

Are you aware that the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) requires you to have either a

  • safety committee
  • or a regular safety meeting,

depending on the number of employees you have? WAC 296-800-130 clearly identifies this requirement.

If you have 11 or more employees on the same shift in the same location, you must establish a safety committee, which consists of representatives elected by employees as…

Topic
  • Nonprofit Governance
WCSAP Webpage
October, 2013

We've spent a lot of time figuring out what the spectrum of sexual violence looks like, but do we have concrete ideas about what the alternative is? Healthy sexuality is a complex and nuanced subject area that allows us to explore the positive, healthy, fulfilling, and violence-free expressions of sexuality.

Infusing healthy sexuality messaging into your work will likely require preparation. Do you know why healthy sexuality is an integral part of our prevention work? How can you…

Topic
  • Healthy Sexuality
WCSAP Webpage
June, 2013

Posters campaigns can be a great way to raise awareness and when used in conjunction with other activities may be part of a more comprehensive prevention project. Here are some examples of poster campaigns that are either pro-active about stopping sexual & dating violence or promote positive messaging and environments.

The Red Flag Campaign

  • Designed by the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance for college campuses. The poster…
Topic
  • Strategies
PDF
April, 2013

This Guide is a supplement to the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs' (WCSAP) general guide to psychoeducational support groups, Circle of Hope. Circle of Hope provides information about the nature of psychoeducational groups and how they differ from self-help and therapy groups. In addition, there is general…

Topic
  • Support Groups
WCSAP Webpage
March, 2013

Trauma can profoundly affect children's development. In an article highlighted on the website Zero to Three (National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families), Dr. Theodore Gaensbauer discusses the "Developmental and Therapeutic Aspects of Treating Infants and Toddlers Who Have Witnessed Violence." Dr. Gaensbauer's framework for understanding how trauma affects children has even wider significance, applying to older children and to those affected…

Topic
  • Child Sexual Abuse
  • Trauma
WCSAP Webpage
February, 2013

Sitting through a presentation or training can be difficult, but every now and then there is one that just works. You are excited, engaged, and alert! You care! You want to be there!

What separates the wheat from the chaff? What made that training matter to you? If it mattered to others in the room as well, it is very likely the trainer's methods were informed by understanding adult learning styles.

Adults have specific needs around learning. We want to know what is in it for…

Topic
  • Program Design
WCSAP Webpage
February, 2013

Sometimes we use a myths/facts approach in community education. Is it useful? Not really.

Take this example from a flyer from the Centers for Disease Control.

Myth:
The flu shot can cause the flu.
Fact:
The flu shot cannot cause the flu. Some people get a little soreness or redness where they get the shot.

Researchers read the flyer to people, and got some surprising results. Within 30 minutes, older people remembered about a…

Topic
  • Program Design