The Health, Mental Health, and Well-Being Benefits of Rape Crisis Counseling

Nicole Westmarland · Sue Alderson

41 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Interpersonal Violence

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Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies Intimate Partner and Family Violence Child Abuse and Trauma

Abstract

There is very little research on interventions to alleviate the distress experienced following rape. This action research project developed and piloted the "Taking Back Control" tool that measured the impact of rape crisis counseling over time. Five rape crisis centers in the North of England agreed to pilot the tool, which was administered by the client's counselor, either on Week 1 or 2, and then repeated every 6 weeks until the end of counseling. Eighty-seven clients completed at least two questionnaires. This allowed us to measure change from their first compared with their last data collection point. The most change was made in relation to the statement "I feel empowered and in control of my life," where 61% strongly/disagreed at the first data collection point compared with 31% at the last data collection point. Large shifts were also seen in relation to "I have 'flashbacks' about what happened" and "I have panic attacks." Overall, some degree of positive change was seen for all measures. This research, despite some limitations, begins to develop an evidence base for rape crisis centers to demonstrate their benefits and to assess and develop their own practice.

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References

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2019Rape, inequality and the criminal justice response in England: The importance of age and gender 2015Sexual Assault Prevention and Reporting on College Campuses in the US: A Review of Policies and Recommendations.2019The Whole Place Self: reflecting on the original working practices of Rape Crisis 2019Journalist Guidelines and Media Reporting in the Wake of #MeToo 2022

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