Training
The Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program (SAOP) offers trainings to community organizations, community groups, and other community members free of charge. Although not a complete list, below is a list of trainings that are offered most often by SAOP staff. All trainings can be adapted to fit the needs of the organization requesting them. Trainings can be scheduled for a little as 15 minutes or may be scheduled for a full 8-hour day.
What can you do to prevent violence?
This workshop teaches participants various strategies to intervene in abusive or potentially abusive situations and provides the opportunity to practice these skills.
Key concepts & skills: assertive communication, peer disclosures of abuse, problem-solving, and bystander intervention.
Dissecting Relationships in the Media
Movies, television, and other media are an enjoyable part of our modern lives, but sadly, the relationships portrayed in these media often exhibit more unhealthy relationship behaviors than healthy. This programming is designed to utilize media examples to help participants learn to critically analyze media for the subtle messages they send about being in relationships with friends and romantic partners. Adult participants will learn how these subtle messages impact our ability to negotiate sexual boundaries.
Key concepts & skills: gender roles, media literacy, cycle of abuse, desensitization, and sex roles.
Characteristics of Healthy Romantic Relationships
Romantic relationships are full of “ups” and “downs”, but how does one tell the difference between “downs” and unhealthy relationship behaviors? This programming helps participants identify healthy and unhealthy feelings and behaviors in romantic relationships and offers healthy strategies on how to deal with emotions in relationships. This programming also discusses the complexities of intimate partner violence and the characteristics of those relationships.
Key concepts and skills: intimate partner violence, cycle of abuse, feelings/emotions, and unhealthy relationship behaviors.
How to Talk about Sexual Boundaries
Although talking about our desires related to physical intimacy in relationships is very difficult, it is important to be able to communicate your sexual boundaries to your romantic partners. This programming aims to give participants strategies on how to talk about their sexual boundaries with their partner and learn how to avoid crossing someone else’s sexual boundaries.
Key concepts and skills: abstinence, consent, sexual intimacy, and barriers to talking about sexual intimacy.
Relationships that Hurt: Sexual Assault & Intimate Partner Violence
Although our society has made great strides in understanding and combating sexual assault and intimate partner violence (IPV), there are still many myths about the perpetrators and victims of these types of abuse. Holding such myths makes it more difficult to identify such abuse in our own relationships and in that of others. This programming takes a public health approach to teaching participants about the prevalence of sexual assault and IPV in our communities and how to combat it in our relationships and in those of others.
Key concepts and skills: sexual assault, intimate partner violence, consent, cycle of abuse, and bystander intervention.
Introduction to SAOP
Introduce your community/agency to SAOP. Understand what advocacy is, the populations of survivors served, the history and mission of the program, and the services that are offered to your community. Learn how SAOP can assist your community and how you can join SAOP in building a coordinated community response to sexual violence.
What is Survivor Advocacy?
Learn the definition of survivor advocacy and the roles that advocates fulfill within the community. Understand how advocates fit within a community response team and the principles and skills that guide advocacy.
Anti-Oppression and Rape Culture Overview
Review and understand how oppression, culture and media impact and influence sexual violence. Learn how to actively intervene in violence and societal perceptions of violence.
What is Trauma and Trauma Informed Practices
Understand how the body and brain react to and process trauma.Defining immediate, intermediate, and long-term effects of trauma on survivors and co-survivors of sexual violence. Discuss the secondary effects of trauma on first responders and learn self-care strategies. Learn the skills and the benefits of providing trauma-informed services.
Diverse Survivor Populations
Review of survivor populations and the supportive services they may require, as well as the community supports that are available to assist. Discussion of mandated reporting and limits to confidentiality with specialized survivor populations.
Medical Care and Evidence Collection with Survivors of Sexual Violence
Discuss best practices in working with survivors of sexual assault in regards to medical care and evidence collection. Learn the differences between SANE and SAFE practices. Review the SAFE evidence collection kits. Discuss the roles of SAFE/SANE nursing staff, doctors, social workers, and advocates. Learn resources for follow up medical care.
Role Play Overview/Group Role Play
Assist in working with survivors of sexual violence through practicing your advocacy skills. Learn to work with survivors through one on one and large group practice facilitated by a SAOP advocate.
Outcomes for Training
- An increase in community resources that practice trauma informed care (SSBO)
- Increase community awareness about the occurrence of sexual and interpersonal violence within our service area (adults, teens, co-survivors, and SSBO)
- Increase in partnerships within our communities to form a unified front for the prevention of and response to violence (SSBO)
- Decrease in relational violence perpetration and victimization (adults, teens, co-survivors, and SSBO)