SUPPORTING

SURVIVORS

Presenters:

Shea O’Donnell, (she/they)

Crisis Counselor & Victim Advocate

Kenia Valdez (she/her)

An Empowering Model

Content Warnings/Informed Consent

#1: TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!

We will be discussing

• Sexual Assault
• Suicide
• Trauma

Accessibility Statement

Please feel comfortable to fully occupy and own your space in whatever way is comfortable to you, whether that’s lying down, stimming, turning the lights off, vocalize, turning off your camera, and otherwise not spending your energy forcing your body and mind to behave in ways that are considered “normative”. This is a safe space to be authentically you. (Credit: The Pride Center)

Land Acknowledgement

We would like to acknowledge the custodians of this land, the Kumeyaay people and their Elders past and present. We acknowledge and respect their continuing resilience and culture, and recognize the strength, resilience and capacity of the Kumeyaay people + extend this respect to other Indigenous people who are present.

Who are the original caretakers of the land you grew up on?

Find out here:

Community Guidelines

• Honor your needs and be mindful of others
• Respect the shared space and time
• Practice inclusive language
• One mic/keyboard, one person
• Don't yuck someone's yum
• What's said stays, what's learned leaves (no pics for privacy)
• Please ASK Questions!
• Be open to learning and unlearning
• Speak/Type from the "I"

Purpose Statement

• We understand that being in a situation where you’re confiding in someone or someone is confiding their story to you, it can produce a lot of strong emotions and maybe even memories.
• Ideally, we would like you to be able to carry on these skills and feel more comfortable with your ability to effectively support survivors while still taking care of your own mental wellbeing.
• Could be especially difficult for people who are survivors as well.
• Additionally, we would like to provide a space to practice to those skills as well.
• We will hang around for a bit after the meeting if you’d like to debrief. We are here for you <3

Table of contents

Statistics

What is Empowerment?

What is CCS and CTL?

01

03

02

Active Listening

04

Validation

05

Grounding

06

Self-Care & Resources

06

Statistics

Women

Men

Transgender

16%

3%

47%

Disclaimer: These statistics are not taking into account race, disability, sexual oritentation, immigration status, occupation, socioeconomic status, etc.

Every 68 Seconds an American is sexually assaulted.

1 in 2 women, and 1 in 5 men have experienced sexual violence other than rape in their lifetime.

26.4%

6.8%

23.1%

Campus Sexual Violence

Of undergraduate female students

Of undergraduate male students

Of TGQN (transgender, genderqueer, nonconforming) college students

What is Empowerment?

• “The process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one's life and claiming one's rights.”

“Empowerment means helping the survivor reestablish a sense of control and agency. This may happen by allowing the survivor to recognize their own strengths and capabilities (instead of insisting that they are strong for having gone through something so horrific), helping them find the information necessary to make their own decisions (instead of making decisions without consulting them or against their wishes), and allowing them to take actions they feel comfortable with (instead of pressuring them to do things they don’t want to do).” - Orange County Rape Crisis Center

What is Center for Community Solutions? (CCS)

Mission Statement: “Our mission at Center for Community Solutions is to end relationship and sexual violence by being a catalyst for caring communities and social justice:”

• Founded in 1969
• Served more than 17,000 adults and children in 2021
• The only rape crisis center in San Diego, and also operates a countywide 24-hour multilingual hotline
• Provides emergency domestic violence shelters, hospital and court accompaniment, as well as legal and counseling services for those affected by domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking
• Also works within the community for prevention

What is Crisis Text Line? (CTL)

Mission Statement: “At the intersection of empathy and innovation — we promote mental well-being for people wherever they are.”

• Provides 24/7, confidential text support for those in crisis
• Supports texters through a variety of issues, including (but not limited to), suicide, depression, anxiety, abuse, relationship problems, addiction, and self-harm.

What is my role? / Disclaimer

CCS - Victim Advocate

CTL - Crisis Counselor

and Peer Support

Volunteer

Accompanies survivors to their evidentiary exams to provide emotional support and information regarding further resources.

So far I have supported over 300+ texters over 150+ hours of volunteering.

Disclaimer: I am a volunteer, not a staff member, for both CTL and CSS. I am not an official trainer, and all of this is based on my personal experience, as well as 90+ hours of crisis intervention training I have had. However, I have consulted with professionals to make sure this is accurate and as helpful as possible!

Active

Listening

What does it mean to you?

Active Listening

What is Active Listening?

• “Rather than giving someone a fraction of your attention, active listening is making a conscious effort to hear, understand, and retain information that’s being relayed to you. It involves more than listening to the words they say. Instead, you consciously analyze what you hear, and try to pick up on intent, content, and emotion from the speaker.” (CSU Global)

​

Ways to Practice Active Listening:

• PAY ATTENTION!
• Show that you are listening (lean in, eye contact, etc.)
• Offer follow-up and clarifying questions (“It sounds like…. Is that right?)
• ASK if they want feedback/advice, don’t assume

Active Listening - The Big Bang Theory

Active Listening - Legally Blonde

Validation

What does validation mean to you?

Validation

What is Emotional Validation?... It’s like a vocal hug :)

• “Emotional validation involves understanding and showing acceptance for another person's feelings. When people receive this type of validation, they feel that their emotions are not only seen and heard by others but that these feelings are also accepted.” (Very Well Mind)

​

Validation Examples

I believe you. / It took a lot of courage to tell me about this.

It’s not your fault. / You didn’t do anything to deserve this.

“I understand you are angry.”

​

"I can see how you would feel that way."

​

​

“I'm here for you."

​

"How frustrating!"

​

“No wonder you are feeling upset!”

“I can’t imagine the strength it has taken to deal with this.”

Active Listening and Validation Example

Breakout Room: Active Listening and Validation

What did you think of the video?

Grounding

What does grounding mean to you?

What is Grounding?

What is Grounding?

• “Grounding exercises are things you can do to bring yourself into contact with the present moment – the here and now. They can be quick strategies (like taking three deep “belly breaths”) or longer, more formal exercises (like meditation).”(Livewell.org)

Examples:

• Take ten slow breaths. Focus your attention fully on each breath, on the way in and on the way out. Say the number of the breath to yourself as you exhale.
• Splash some water on your face. Notice how it feels. Notice how the towel feels as you dry. Use words in your mind to describe the sensations.
• Sip a cool drink of water.

More Examples

Grounding Exercise: 5-4-3-2-1

Self-Care

What does Self-Care look like to you?

Self-Care

What is Self-care?

• ‘Self-Care is what people do for themselves to establish and maintain health, and to prevent and deal with illness. It is a broad concept encompassing hygiene (general and personal), nutrition (type and quality of food eaten), lifestyle (sporting activities, leisure etc), environmental factors (living conditions, social habits, etc.) socio-economic factors (income level, cultural beliefs, etc.) and self-medication.’ (World Health Organization, 1998).

Self-Care: Examples (U of Toledo)

Practice: Write down 5 self-care strategies

Physical Self-Care

• Eat a healthy meal
• Engage in exercise
• Go for a walk
• Drink water
• Practice good sleep hygiene
• Have a cup of tea
• Sit in the sunlight
• Take a shower or bath

Mental Wellbeing Self-Care

• Practice mindfulness
• Take a break
• Play video games
• Listen to music
• Read a book
• Listen to a podcast
• Reflect on things you are grateful for

Spiritual/Social Self-Care

• Pray
• Call/text a friend
• Connect with nature
• Meditate
• Engage in self-reflection

Breakout Room: Self-Care

Exchange self-care plans to foster ideas!

Final Tips

Remain Calm

Believe the Victim

Give Survivor Control

Maintain Confidentiality

Provide Resources

Be Patient

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

Resources

Resources - General

RAINN: National SA Hotline

101 Grounding Techniques

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

100 Coping Skills

What is Self-Care?

Supporting Survivors - The Basics

SDSU Title IX

RAINN: Tips for Talking to Survivors

800.656.HOPE (4673)

800.273.TALK (8255)

Resources - CCS and CTL

CCS Hotline

CCS Volunteer Info

CTL Textline

CTL Volunteer Info

1-888-385-4657

www.ccssd.org/

Text “Home” to 741-741

www.crisistextline.org/

Thanks!

Does anyone have any questions?

​

wrc@sdsu.edu

619-594-2304

https://sacd.sdsu.edu/womens-resource

@sdsuwrc

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon and infographics & images by Freepik

Outline of Slides PDF

Citations

​

• https://csuglobal.edu/blog/what-is-active-listening-4-tips-for-improving-communication-skills#:~:text=Rather%20than%20giving%20someone%20a,to%20the%20words%20they%20say.
• https://www.rainn.org/articles/tips-talking-survivors-sexual-assault
• https://www.pcar.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdfs/friends_and_family_guide_final.pdf
• https://isfglobal.org/what-is-self-care/
• https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-emotional-validation-425336
• https://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/publications/2019-02/Transgender_infographic_508_0.pdf
• https://www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violence
• https://ocrcc.org/2016/06/27/the-empowerment-model/
• https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/datasources/nisvs/2015NISVSdatabrief.html

​