Handling Disclosures in a Trauma-Informed Way in Online Sexual Violence Prevention Environments During COVID-19

This web conference is part of a series with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center “Sexual Violence Prevention During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Adapting in an Ever-Changing Landscape.” Registration and web conference materials are available on the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website, linked here.

Concerns about participant safety persist after one-year and climbing of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sexual violence preventionists often face participants and youth disclosing their own experiences with violence in prevention spaces. Responding in a trauma-informed way is essential, and doing so in online and remote environments can pose additional challenges. It’s also critical for preventionists to understand both their roles as mandated reporters of youth violence and/or responsible employees of college and university students, and how these laws and policies have a disproportionate harmful impact on marginalized communities. Join PreventConnect and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center for a conversation about handing disclosures in a trauma-informed way that replicates the least harm possible.

Please note, this web conference and the contents of it do not constitute legal advice or legal guidance. Refer to your agencies’ policies and legal department for specific questions. For general questions for our presenters, submit them via this survey by April 5th, 2021.

OBJECTIVES

• Describe tips and guidance for being trauma-informed when handling disclosures of violence in a physically distanced environment
• Identify challenges and opportunities to trauma-informed response to disclosures of violence in online, remote sexual violence prevention spaces
• Discuss the impacts of mandated reporting laws on sexual violence prevention and promoting equity

HOSTS/FACILITATORS: Mo Lewis, National Sexual Violence Resource Center; Ashleigh Klein-Jimenez, Claudia Sibaja, & Tori VandeLinde, PreventConnect and ValorUS

MATERIALS:

• Web conference PowerPoint slides [PDF]

GUESTS:

• Emily Austin, JD, Consultant, Pivot Advocacy, PC
• Shannon Perez-Darby, Anti-violence advocate, Consultant, and Writer