Therapy for Rape Victims Shows Promise

Clergy abuse in the Catholic church has been rampant and was often swept under the rug. Until Barrett Doyle and others started 'Bishop Accountability' to keep a record of clergy abuse, and a support group and blog have also been created as a path for healing and sharing stories that will also hopefully help prompt change in the church.

Alcohol has claimed more lives in Rio Arriba County in the past five years than other drugs. SMART, a secular alternative to Alcoholics Anonymous, provides one path toward recovery, increasingly incorporating scientific findings into treatment as well as support for family members of addicts, helping them change the environment.

The Healing Hurt People program, or HHP, is an ER-based violence intervention program that works on the public health-based notion that violence - like other diseases that spread - can be prevented. It targets services to those at highest risk, patients like those in Philadelphia, who are being treated for violent injuries in the city's emergency rooms. Unlike other programs, it recognizes and attempts to heal the underlying emotional trauma that results from, and often predates, violent injury.

To prevent suicide amongst youth, research has shown that there's a simple strategy to get people the supports they need: training the adults in their lives on how to recognize warning signs and provide help. While the research is still preliminary, it highlights one more intervention technique to prevent teen suicide by helping youth in recovery stick to their treatment plans.

The Neem Foundation brings intensive counseling and 1-on-1 therapy to survivors who escaped the horrific violence of Boko Haram, a terrorist group in northeastern Nigeria. With months of aid and tough conversations, the organization attempts to reunite women and children who fled the violence with their families, many of whom shun the Boko Haram escapees.

In West Valley City, Utah, the police department has transformed how they handle sex crimes. Department reforms include mandatory training on trauma, required testing of all rape kits, and the development of a set of guidelines to use when questioning victims – all of which shifting their focus towards justice and healing. The reforms have led to sharp increases in cases prosecuted and convicted and even changes in legislation statewide.

In Ashland, Oregon, the police department has launched a program that better serves sexual assault survivors by putting them at the center. The program, called You Have Options, considers the challenges that survivors face and works to help them through the reporting process, including letting them report anonymously. In its first year, You Have Options saw a 106% increase in sexual assault reporting and departments across the United States are now seeking to implement it.

Black communities are often left without adequate counseling services when faced with racial trauma, but clinical psychologists are working to address this. So far, solutions include opening clinics that specialize in African-American mental health and social media campaigns focused on normalizing conversations around mental health awareness in the Black community.

Boys Without Borders provides boys who experienced sexual abuse with a support system and educational resources to help them overcome social and mental health issues they may be facing. With the group’s 65 student volunteers, they have helped more than 2,500 boys since launching in 2020.

Hope Center offers free medical services, including psychosocial and counseling services, for victims of sexual and gender-based violence. The Center also collaborates with the legal system to work to achieve justice for survivors.