Background

Because any member of a campus community may be the recipient of a disclosure, all campus community members should be trained to appropriately respond to a disclosure of sexual violence. This training is especially important for community members who are likely to receive a disclosure, such as resident advisors (Orchowski & Gidycz, 2015).

Educational workshops for training individuals to respond to disclosures of sexual violence can contain a breadth of information such as: a definition of sexual violence and the prevalence of sexual violence on campuses; the impacts of sexual violence, including how trauma affects survivor responses; how to appropriately respond (listen, believe, support); on- and off- campus sexual violence resources; and the importance of self-care for responders (EVA-BC, 2016b).

Foremost, this training aims to provide learners with practical skills and knowledge in order to increase their confidence in responding to a disclosure of sexual violence in a way that supports and does not further harm the survivor. This training also provides an opportunity to explore and understand some of the contextual factors and root causes that support sexual violence in society, including how rape culture creates barriers to disclosing and reporting acts of sexual violence.

This training is grounded in a trauma-informed approach which acknowledges the individualized effects of sexual violence on survivors and others, empowering survivors with choice and control in disclosing, reporting, accessing support at their own pace, and respecting the survivors’ right to privacy and need for safety (Elliot, Bjelajac, Fallot, Markoff, & Reed, 2005). By outlining that the effects of sexual violence are significant and long lasting, not only for survivors but also for their family and friends, education and prevention programs further solidify their importance while simultaneously generating empathy for survivors.