AASW Webinar Recording | The Trauma Story: Responding to disclosures of sexual violence

It is estimated that more than one billion people have been affected by extreme violence, embodied in the experience of war, rape, ethnic conflict, torture, and terrorism.

Within the Australian context, 2.2 million women and 718,000 men have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime.

These two (2) recordings explore the underlying theory and practical steps for responding to disclosures of sexual violence, including intimate partner violence.

The first recording (i.e., the theory component) draws on evidence-based guidance to help policy makers, health care providers, and other members of multidisciplinary teams to deepen their understanding of trauma-informed care and the socio-cultural dimensions that underpin sexual violence.

While the second recording (i.e., the practical component) explores the different ways that victim-survivors may disclose and offers practical steps for responding to a disclosure through a client-practitioner role-play and debrief.

Clinical interventions, such as the trauma story assessment tool, and self-care rituals are introduced within the theory component and unpacked in further detail in the practical component.

Additional resources

• Case Study (which forms the basis of the Multiple-Choice Quiz)
• Trauma Story Assessment Tool* (to help inform case conceptualisation and drive treatment planning)
• Trauma Narratives (Guide)
• Trauma Questionnaire (to help practitioners effectively assess for trauma)
• Critical Reflection and Reflective Practice Tool (to help develop greater self-awareness, and improve practice)

"This was the best training I have done and it prompted me to look further at the resources and learning more in this area" – training participant, June 2022.

Who should register? Any practitioner who wishes to improve their skills and knowledge in responding to disclosures of sexual violence.

Learning Outcomes

By the end these two (2) recordings, participants will be able to:

• Understand how to create a safe therapeutic relationship with victim-survivors of sexual violence
• Consider the socio-cultural dimensions that underpin sexual violence using intersectional feminism modalities?
• Employ practical strategies to support victim-survivors during a disclosure?
• Develop self-care rituals to avoid burn-out, vicarious trauma, and own history of?trauma being re-triggered

AASW Credentials: Mental Health (Focussed Psychological Strategies); Family Violence; Clinical