Rape Support Group
If you or someone you know has been the victim of rape, this is the place to find support and get advice. If you want, discuss your experience, share your feelings, and meet others going through a similar situation.
Suppose you had it in your power to influence how therapists, crisis centers, state agencies, religious bodies, and advocates for rape victims conducted their work. How do you think services for survivors should be enhanced?
For example, we know that state crisis agencies already have counseling programs in place (and mostly free). We know that VAWA now pays for medical care for rape victims, and VOCA provides ways for rape victims to seek financial support from state funds. We know that women's crisis centers have advocates who are trained to assist a victim through the forensic and investigation processes.
But beyond that stuff, what next? What's missing in the journal of recovery? Where does it seem to all fall short? Suppose you went through the system--as it exists now--and received the hospital care and the free counseling (for as long as you could stand it, anyways). In most cases, that's just about where support for survivors ends. You get set loose, on your own, to make your way as best you can.
So in your best imaginations, what else should be happening to assist survivors' ongoing recovery needs?
For example, we know that state crisis agencies already have counseling programs in place (and mostly free). We know that VAWA now pays for medical care for rape victims, and VOCA provides ways for rape victims to seek financial support from state funds. We know that women's crisis centers have advocates who are trained to assist a victim through the forensic and investigation processes.
But beyond that stuff, what next? What's missing in the journal of recovery? Where does it seem to all fall short? Suppose you went through the system--as it exists now--and received the hospital care and the free counseling (for as long as you could stand it, anyways). In most cases, that's just about where support for survivors ends. You get set loose, on your own, to make your way as best you can.
So in your best imaginations, what else should be happening to assist survivors' ongoing recovery needs?
My stay in hospital was really traumatic, not only for the invasiveness of it all, but I found myself having to confront people that had no idea why I was in. I had male nurses coming in and out opening the curtains and the tea lady asking me if I was in a motor vehicle accident.
None of his was any one persons fault but it would have been easier on me had people known my situation without me having to tell them or confront it.
Case management meeting would also have made things easier in the initial GP/ counselling stage. I might not have had to repeat information as much and try to organise things when my mind was in such a state of shock.
I am also being treated by the military medical system. Unfortunately for me they don't have any real speciality in these type of cases so I am constantly being referred to civilian medical health teams. I find the juggling of this really overwhelming as well.
I also found the MP and civ police cooperation wasn't handled very smoothly. I wish their was a decent liaison service that could act as an independent advocate for me