The Advocate. Poly-victimization. July The Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center newsletter. Want more WASAC News?

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1 Poly-victimization July 2015 The Advocate The Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center newsletter Catharine Bolt, LMSW Adult Therapist Poly-victimization is defined as the experience of multiple victimizations of different kinds (Turner, Hamby and Banyard, Poly-victimization: Childhood Exposure to Multiple Forms of Victimization, 4/03). This can include sexual abuse, physical abuse, bullying, violence in school, and witnessing family or community violence. Approximately half of all youth that are victims of sexual abuse are also exposed to some other form of violence and classified as poly-victims. Professionals who work with child survivors typically focus only on the presenting abuse without investigating for other forms of abuse that may be occurring or have occurred in the past. There is a recent emphasis on the study of poly-victimization. Teachers, counselors, medical professionals, child welfare advocates, and law enforcement may be able to identify some of the most endangered children (Turner, Hamby and Banyard, Polyvictimization: Childhood Exposure to Multiple Forms of Victimization, 4/03). For youth, poly-victimization is most likely to occur at the beginning of their grade school years and then again as they begin high school. According to Turner, Hambly and Banyard, child Want more WASAC News? Visit our website

2 WASAC Education July 15: 6:00-7:30 p.m. Protective Parenting Program July 28: 12:00-1:00 p.m. WASAC Lunch and Learn Protective Parenting and Personal Body Safety All programs are free and confidential Call for more information This is your last month to purchase a Be the Change t-shirt or hoodie. Hoodies are $36 and t-shirts are $18. Support WASAC and survivors of sexual assault with your purchase! survivors come from various environments, including many from at-risk neighborhoods. Turner, Hambly and Banyard found those child survivors were at higher risk to come from a challenging family environment. A study by the Crimes Against Children Research Center, found that 10% of the children in the sample reported four or more different kinds of victimization in a single year (Finklehor, D., Ormod, R. K., and Turner, 2007, Polyvictimization: A neglected component in child victimization trauma). The study also found that youth who become poly-victims are at a greater risk for continued victimization and have higher levels of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. With continued research, social researchers can design programs that would prevent children from becoming poly-victims. An initial step is to make teachers, child advocates, social workers, mental health professionals and primary care physicians more aware of this problem. The Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center offers adult and child therapy sessions for survivors of sexual assault. This can be the first step or one of many steps to begin the process of healing. Call our office at to schedule an appointment. WASAC also has weekly support groups for adult women, teen girls, and parents and caregivers. All services are free and confidential. Visit Limited supply is available at The Workroom, 150 N. Cleveland, Wichita, KS. Call (316) in advance.

3 WASAC Happenings Wendy Mejia Latino Outreach Coordinator Wendy is WASAC s new Latino Outreach Coordinator. Wendy s role will include providing direct victim services, supportive counseling, education and advocacy to the Latino community in the Wichita area. When asked what her favorite part of her job is, Wendy said helping others and helping survivors find their voice. Wendy said, Working with amazing co-workers and now life-long friends. Wendy shared, It s amazing to meet individuals in different phases of recovery and growing process and seeing them finally reach that confidence of knowing that they can succeed. Wendy enjoys traveling, reading, playing and watching sports, and spending time with family in her free time. Wendy is an active member in her church. Wendy facilitates youth groups, provides translation and serves as education and school liason. Wendy has also been involved with Habitat for Humanity. Wendy is available to assist with crisis intervention and support services to survivors and their families. If you are working with a Latino survivor of sexual assault or would like additional information, please contact Wendy at or Wendy@wichitasac.com. Please join us as we welcome Wendy to the WASAC family!

4 WICHITA AREA SEXUAL ASSAULT CENTER Lunch & Learn 2015 Bring your lunch and join us from 12-1 p.m. on the last Tuesday of each month to learn more about the reality of sexual violence. Free and open to all! No RSVP required. Jul 28: Protective parenting/personal safety* Aug 25: Campus sexual assault and Title IX Sep 29: Sexual assault & substance abuse Oct 27: Risk & benefits of protection orders Nov 24: Holiday challenges and traumaversaries Dec 29: Warning signs of stalking *Concurrent sessions for adults and youth All WASAC Lunch & Learn sessions are held at our office at 355 N Waco, Suite 100. For more information, please call

5 Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center Adult women (18+) Support group Tuesday, 5:30-6:30 pm Trauma-sensitive yoga Tuesday, 6:30-7:30 pm Teen girls (13-17) Support group Monday, 5:30-6:30 pm Trauma-sensitive yoga Monday, 6:30-7:30 pm Parents and caregivers Support group Monday, 6:45-7:30 pm WASAC also offers short-term individual therapy for women, men, and children. To schedule an appointment, please call our office between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm. WASAC support groups are confidential, free, and open to survivors at any point in their healing. All groups meet weekly and are open-ended, with no appointment necessary to participate. At this time, child care is not available. WASAC office 355 N Waco, Suite 100 SW corner of 3rd/Waco

6 WASAC Lunch and Learn July 28, :00 PM -1:00 PM Adult Session Youth Session Protective Parenting Program: One of the most important responsibilites adults have is to keep children and teens safe. Unfortunately, we live in a world where studies show 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before turning 18. Bring your lunch and learn about child sexual abuse including myths and definitions, behaviors and physical indicators of sexual abuse, how to respond to a disclosure, community resources and more. NO! GO! TELL! Personal Safety Awareness Program: Youth will learn about personal body safety. We want to make sure youth know how to best keep themselves safe, and what to do if they are targeted for sexual abuse. The basic safety techniques that the personal safety awareness program teach are that no one is allowed to touch the private parts of our body, secrets about unsafe touches are not ok, if someone tries to touch you in a way that makes you uncomfortable or confused: Say No, Go away, and Tell a trusted adult. Please Note: These will be concurrent sessions. Bring your lunch, bring your youth. Facilitators: Perla Rodriguez, Coordinator of Program Services. Personal body safety awareness program. Robin Bariel, Outreach Advocate. Protective parenting program. 355 N. Waco, Suite 100 Call (316) for additional information.