Intro:
You are listening to a Resource Sharing Project podcast on organizational strategies for 
enhancing sexual assault services in rural dual or multi-service advocacy agencies. This podcast 
was developed with support from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. 

Script:
Looking at our organizational capacity for sexual assault services is critical because our 
organizational habits and policies are more powerful than we sometimes realize. Each 
conversation an advocate has with a survivor happens within the context and culture set by 
the organization. The Resource Sharing Project has identified Ten Components of Strong Dual or 
Multi-Service Advocacy Agencies.  You can find more information on all ten components in 
our companion publication. You’ll learn more about that at the end of this podcast. Let’s take at 
look at how strong dual advocacy agencies provide services to the full continuum of sexual 
violence survivors, including girls and boys, teen and adult women, teen and adult men, women 
and men in later life, and transgender people of all ages.

Having knowledgeable and comfortable sexual assault advocates is key to providing strong 
services. To serve sexual violence survivors fully, advocates must understand how multiple 
systems, including criminal justice, social services, and health care operate in regards to sexual 
violence. They must also possess knowledge to increase medical, criminal legal, civil legal, and 
healing options for sexual violence survivors. These are often different from the needs of and 
options for domestic violence survivors, so advocates need training specific to sexual violence. 
Both domestic violence and sexual violence advocates require training on general skills like 
active listening, empathy, building trust, empowerment, and supporting survivor’s choices. For 
sexual assault advocacy work, it is also important to share knowledge on the different types of 
sexual violence, healing after sexual violence, emergency advocacy for sexual violence 
survivors, long-term advocacy for sexual violence survivors, and the services available in our 
communities. With knowledge on these topics, advocates can be ready, willing, and able to serve 
all sexual violence survivors in the community. 

We need to look carefully at the interventions we offer to survivors. The services we provide, 
and how we provide them, influences survivors’ decisions to seek services and staff response to 
survivors.  Sexual assault victim advocacy encompasses immediate and long-term work with 
survivors on health, justice, safety, housing, employment, school, and any other needs that arise. 
Providing services particularly designed for sexual violence survivors opens our doors to more 
survivors. An agency could, for example, offer support groups specific to sexual violence 
survivors rather than integrating them into the domestic violence group. Support groups can 
provide validation and connection for survivors by being with people that have experienced 
similar kinds of violence. Support groups are also an avenue for reaching a wider range of 
survivors. For example, an agency could offer support groups that are age or gender specific. 
Agencies can also look at adding holistic healing opportunities, such as creative art groups, 
movement and exercise groups, and meditation groups.

Many survivors of sexual violence are coping with complex issues and require unique services. 
For example, partnering with local substance abuse agencies is a great way to expand your 
sexual violence services and reach more survivors and a broader range of survivors. Some adult 
survivors, for instance, may seek help for substance abuse, but have never talked about the 
sexual abuse. By working with substance abuse service providers, we can reach these vulnerable 
survivors. 

Conclusion: 
There are so many ways to grow our sexual assault services, through training, community 
partnerships, and programming. We hope this podcast has sparked some ideas about how you 
might deepen your sexual violence advocacy work. For more information about Deepening Our 
Roots, a training and technical assistance project for OVW Rural Grantees, visit 
www.resourcesharingproject.org/rural-sexual-assault-services. There, you can also find the 
companion publication for this podcast, Opening Our Doors: Building Strong Sexual Assault 
Services in Dual/Multi-Service Advocacy Agencies. You’ll also find e-learning tools and other 
publications and resources to help you develop your rural sexual assault services. 


Outro:
This project was supported by Grant No. 2008-TA-AX-K043 awarded by the Office on Violence 
Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and 
recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily 
reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women