Westchester NOW

As I searched last spring for a summer job that would enhance my academic experience as well as enable me to be involved with the community as a whole, I came across the Sexual Assault Crisis and Education Center in Stamford, Connecticut.

The Crisis Center provides support to victims and their friends and family and works to eliminate sexual violence through counseling, education outreach and advocacy in the lower Fairfield County area. As a Psychology major and Women's Studies minor planning on attending either law school or Psychology graduate school in the future, I felt that working at the Center would give me a unique experience and introduction into the field of sexual assault, from both a legal and psychological standpoint.

A Full-Service Support Center

The Sexual Assault Crisis and Education Center provides services in three main areas: counseling, advocacy and education. It offers a variety of support systems through counseling, including a 24-hour hotline staffed by certified sexual assault crisis counselors, individual short term crisis counseling for primary and secondary survivors, referrals for long term counseling, and support groups for primary and secondary survivors. The Center provides services to male and female victims of all types of sexual violence, including but not limited to sexual assault, incest, child sexual abuse and sexual harassment. Clients who are involved in the legal process can also seek support and information from the Center's legal advocate, who is available to make the legal proceedings easier and more understandable. All of these services are both free and confidential.

Additionally, the Center has a community education department that provides programs in personal safety and sexual violence awareness to local schools, businesses, police departments and other community organizations. The education department reaches approximately 12,000 individuals per year within lower Fairfield County

In the schools, staff members teach children in an age-appropriate way about body ownership, how to speak assertively, and the difference between good and bad secrets as part of the Feeling Safe program.

When I began working at the Crisis Center this past June, I chose to focus on the Champions program, a part of the education department that focuses specifically on sexual assault in athletics. The goals of Champions are to raise awareness and begin to eliminate the overwhelming rate of sexual assault and hazing that occur on sports teams. The program addresses the gendered stereotypes of athletes and how these stereotypes and expectations can lead to sexual aggression and violence both on and off the field. Through providing information and support, Champions can empower athletes, coaches, administration and physical education teachers to work together to end sexual violence in athletics. Working on the Champions program allowed me to use the knowledge and experience I have gained as a college varsity athlete to help expand and modify the program in order to successfully reach a greater number of individuals.

Special Training for Crisis Counselors

The Champions program opened a door for me to learn more about sexual assault, and I decided to participate in a training program in July that would certify me to become a sexual assault crisis counselor. Through this program offered by the Center, volunteers are trained primarily to work on the crisis hotline, although they also become certified to do other types of crisis counseling as well. The 35-hour training session educates participants about the different types of sexual assault, the roles of the police departments and hospitals, and the services provided by the center. Volunteers learn how to work with individuals of both genders and all races, ethnicities, religions and sexual orientations. The training covers the psychological, medical and legal implications of sexual assault and prepares the volunteers to provide crisis counseling.

While my work on the Champions program taught me a great deal about sexual assault, the training sessions gave me a much more extensive knowledge base about the reality and effects of sexual violence. I came to understand how widespread of a problem sexual assault is, and how much I can do as an individual, and we can do as a community, to work towards eliminating this violence.

Work Rewarding

A common belief that I have heard many times now that I am involved with the Center is that working in the field of sexual assault must be emotionally draining and disheartening, yet I have found the work I have done to be extremely empowering and motivational. My colleagues and instructors are some of the most dedicated and compassionate people I have ever met, and they are determined to work to the best of their ability to help survivors of sexual assault by providing support and raising awareness.

There are many sexual assault and rape crisis centers throughout New York, and specifically in the Westchester area, that provide similar services to the Sexual Assault Crisis and Education Center, and I would urge everyone to get involved in some capacity, by seeking services if needed, by volunteering, or by taking part in their educational outreach programs. Together, we can work to eliminate sexual violence, and subsequently end the pain and suffering endured by survivors and secondary victims everywhere.

For more information about services in the Westchester area, contact Victim Assistance Services at 914-345-3113.

For more information about Westchester NOW, e-mail us at info@westchesternow.org!