Counselling Adult Survivors of Sexual Violence - Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services
This 12 week online integrative course is designed for counselors, therapists, and other mental health practitioners who are new to working with survivors of sexual violence, or who may be already working with survivors and would like to more deeply inform their counselling practice.
Participation is open to those in the helping fields (mental health professionals, social workers, etc.) whose scope of practice falls within the code of ethics and standards of practice of the professional body to which they belong. Applicants must have, at a minimum, a bachelor’s level education in a social or health services discipline and/or are registered/licensed with a professional association that maintains a code of ethics and standards of practice that provide parameters for the registrant’s scope of practice. Special considerations may be accommodated on a case by case basis. For questions contact ContEd@aasas.ca.
While this course does not provide in-depth training in a specific modality it will introduce and critically consider various modalities, theories, principles and ethics associated with working with survivors of sexual violence. This course offers an integrative, mindfulness-based approach to on-going assessment and interventions with adult survivors (all genders) of sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse. It draws on the most current theory including feminist, attachment, regulation, and interpersonal neurobiology; and evidence-based practices, including mindfulness, cognitive, emotion-centered, somatic, and other emergent approaches for trauma, addiction and mental health.
The baseline premise is that the embodied present-moment personhood of the therapist is the primary evidence-based intervention in working with survivors. The course is also situated within an understanding of culturally relevant practice and how multiple identities, social locations and historical contexts inform interventions with survivors; and how counsellor reflection, self-knowledge and self-care form the basis for ethical counsellor praxis.
Upon completion students will be able to:
Discuss evidence-based self-care practices, including building a community of support, to increase resilience and minimize practitioner burnout
Articulate theoretical frameworks for understanding sexual violence and trauma, how they reflect values, worldviews, and interventions
Describe the complexities of responding to the effects and impacts of sexual violence, that there is ‘no average client’ and to affirm practitioners’ capacities to co-create and sustain a therapeutic relationship
Recall the principles, tools, and skills to reduce distress and provide stability and to conduct initial and on-going assessment strategies
Name the basic principles, tools, and skills of a variety of evidence-based approaches (including mindfulness, cognitive, emotional, somatic and anti-oppressive) to respond to the effects of sexual violence and trauma
Draw from a number of approaches to work collaboratively with adult survivors of sexual violence addressing the relationship issues that may be specifically meaningful to them
Mindfully bring the therapeutic relationship to closure.
To register: AASAS – CASSV
