Healing. Empowerment. Prevention.
Our services support individual healing and societal change.
PEIRSAC COUNSELLING SERVICES ARE:
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Free of charge and confidential
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For individuals of all genders (over age 12) residing in PEI who have experienced recent or historic sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse
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Provided by professional therapists who are experienced and trained in trauma recovery
OUR COMMITMENT TO PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY
Our commitment to privacy and confidentiality is a key cornerstone to the PEI Rape & Sexual Assault Centre and we deem to be a crucial component to our therapeutic relationships with our clients. We never disclose who is on our wait list or obtaining our services. We never release confidential information about our clients without their written informed consent.
INDIVIDUAL THERAPY
PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Centre (PEIRSAC) provides free and confidential client-led counselling sessions.
This program is for survivors of sexual violence (age 12+), both recent or historic, (i.e. sexual abuse, sexual assault, or sexual harassment) residing in PEI who are in need of supportive, therapeutic counselling specific to sexual violence trauma.
TRAUMA INFORMATION GROUP
Trauma Information Group (TIG) is an evening on-line group for sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse survivors in the early stages of recovery, in a one-hour weekly format for ten weeks. It is offered as an option for people on our waitlist for individual therapy.
TIG combines a grounding, psychoeducational and cognitive framework in a supportive relational and confidential process. Group participants are placed with others with similar gender-identity and age.
MALE SURVIVORS GROUP
We offer a free and confidential group program, led by experienced professionals, that can assist male-identifying people residing in PEI in their healing from adult sexual violence and/or childhood sexual abuse.
PHASE 1: The Male Survivors’ Group (MSG) Phase 1 is a highly structured, short-term group psycho-educational program. The evidence-based, trauma-informed material is delivered to the group in an eight-session modality. These 90-minute sessions are typically held on one evening per week over an eight weeks duration.
PHASE 2: Upon successful completion of the Male Survivors’ Phase 1 Group, participants who wish to continue with the Male Survivors’ Group will be encouraged to join the Male Survivors Phase 2 Group to deepen their understanding of this Phase 1 material, integrate these concepts into their own lives and further their healing journey.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP
BRAIDING SWEETGRASS PROGRAM
The Braiding Sweetgrass program is a three-year pilot project in partnership with the Aboriginal Women’s Association PEI and funded by the Canadian Women’s Foundation to address the increased demand for culturally safer and identity affirming trauma therapy for Indigenous women, youth, and 2SLGBTQ+ (IWY2S+) survivors of sexualized violence. The program provides counselling and access to traditional healing approaches for Indigenous clients.
We are currently seeking an Indigenous therapist for this program; interested applicants are invited to email a cover letter and resume to the Hiring Committee at admin@peirsac.org
PATHWAYS TO THRIVE PROGRAM
Pathways to Thrive is a five-year community-based research project started in April 2021 and funded by Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) Canada that focuses on adapting and evaluating therapeutic ‘promising practices’ (to be more culturally safe and identity-affirming) with under-served adult survivors of gender-based violence on PEI, including BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+ and rural populations. PEIRSAC’s project partner is Women’s Network PEI (WNPEI), in the role of day-to-day coordination of different aspects of the community development. Other community partners involved in the adaptation and evaluation of promising therapeutic practices include:
ADVOCACY AND OUTREACH
SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS WEEK (SAAW)
& TAKE BACK THE NIGHT (TBTN)
Take Back The Night is the earliest worldwide movement to stand against sexual violence, especially violence against women. TBTN Events began in the 1960’s in Belgium and England with protests about how women were not able to be safe walking down the street alone. These early events have grown into hundreds of events on college campuses and in communities of all sizes and locations. This project builds on the success of, and lessons learned from, the TBTN Revitalization event funded by IWS in 2020. In the past TBTN events were 'women only' events, whereas the PEI event was and will be inclusive of all genders recognizing that marginalization and sexualized violence happens to individuals and communities that are impacted by, "oppressive power structures contained in residual attitudes, behaviors and biases from our collective colonial history, which is deeply steeped in power imbalances, capitalism and all forms of inequality," and that by bringing together a diverse Advisory Committee (AC) we can "effectively disseminate messages about root causes of sexualized violence against women (by) to creat(ing) space for learning from and with voices of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (particularly women)" (Ali-Faisal, Project Evaluation Report, Take Back the Night 2020).
New in 2021 is the creation of a province-wide “Sexual Assault Awareness Week” to generate community conversations about the role everyone plays in believing and supporting survivors and preventing sexualized violence, culminating on the Take Back The Night event. Watch our FaceBook page and the Take Back the Night PEI FaceBook page for updates on how you can participate!
PREMIER’S ACTION COMMITTEE (PAC) ON FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION
PEIRSAC is one of 30 organizations / government bodies that sits on PAC, and one of five of those organizations/bodies that is also part of PAC Admin, the working group that meets monthly in addition to the quarterly full PAC meetings. The PEIRSAC Executive Director also co-chairs the PAC Admin Working Group on Sexual Violence with the Director of the Interministerial Women’s Secretariat, which focuses on sexual violence prevention and improving services for survivors of sexual violence on PEI.
For more information, visit https://www.stopfamilyviolence.pe.ca.
EVA CANADA
PEIRSAC’s Executive Director sits on the Board of Ending Violence Association (EVA) Canada. EVA CAN formed to foster a national voice, to bring together all of the sectors involved in the array of anti-violence issues for national dialogue and action, for collaboration across provinces and territories to develop comprehensive and coordinated responses, for developing and sharing information and best practices, promoting safety of workers in the field, and creating more effective gateways to services.
SUPPORT AND EDUCATION
We work collaboratively with, and in ways that empower, individuals and organizations.
SUPPORT FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Please feel free to CONTACT US for more information on our services and/or how to support someone you know who has been assaulted.
Take a look at our RESOURCES page for additional information.
PUBLIC EDUCATION
We provide public education sessions and workshops on a wide range of topics including:
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Sexual Assault/Violence
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Trauma-Informed Practice
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Healthy Relationships and Sexuality
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Boundaries, Consent and Sexual Relationships
CONTACT US for more information or to book a presenter.