“Helping Professions:

Supporting the Acquaintance-

Rape Survivor”

Alfie S. Gulam, Maed, RGC

Guidance Counselor-VNHS

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
 Outline

• Sharing experiences – 2 cases

• Handling cases of an
Acquaintance-Rape survivor
• Ethics in Handling sexual abuse
• Roles of teacher/designate
counselor

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
 True Story…

Case description:
Trisha – 13 years old
Grade 7 student
Her parents was separated
Perpetrator is the father
June 14 she decided to unloads her
problems to her adviser
May 29, 2022- June 3, 2022 3 am the
most terrifying event of her life happened

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
The Process

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
 True Story…

2nd Case description:

Marie- 18 years old
Grade 12 student
She only have her father, her
mother died when she was kid.
Her friend is the perpetrator
It was late night, when she was
drank her friend raped her.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
The Process

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
  What the struggle looks like:
True Story…

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
  How to help

The techniques should be thought of as

working together and always undergirded
with personal acceptance and reflective
listening. If you don’t have specific
training and experience in working with
victim of abuse, you should refer the
young person to a psychologist.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
  How to help

Make Clear Philosophical Assumption

- First, counselors must assume that

the problem is treatable and that
victims will become survivors.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
  How to help

Make Clear Philosophical Assumption

- Second, assume that victims are not

responsible for the abuse (they are
responsible only for their recovery)

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
  How to help

Make Clear Philosophical Assumption

- Third, assume that victims’
expression and acceptance of
feelings are necessary. These
assumptions ensure a more effective
treatment plan.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
  How to help

Know the Limits of Confidentiality

- If you are the first to learn about a

specific case of abuse, you must
report your findings to the
appropriate agencies.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
  How to help
Know the Limits of Confidentiality
- ACA Code B.2 Serious and Foreseeable
Harm and Legal Requirements
- confidential does not apply when
disclosure is required to protect
clients or identified others from
serious & foreseeable harm or when
legal requirements demand that
confidential information must be
revealed.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
  How to help

Know the Limits of Confidentiality

- Consult with other professionals when
in doubt as to the validity of an
exception.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
  How to help

Understand the delayed Intervention

 strategies for delayed intervention
are the same as immediate
intervention.
 in delayed cases young people
have usually built up arsenals of
defenses to cope with the abuse.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
  How to help

Understand the delayed Intervention

 If you have a good rapport with the
young person, it may be best to
inquire about abuse directly…
 Let her know that listening to her is
more important than anything else
she may think you want to do.
 Let her tell the story at her own
speed
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
  How to help

Be alert to Suicidal Risk

 The guilt and betrayal most victims
experience is so intense that
counselors must assume that a
high risk exists in every case.
 They would be better off without
me.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
  How to help

Keep your feelings in check

 A counselor can be supportive of

the child without “offender
bashing”.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
  How to help

Facilitate Empowerment

 Empowerment is a positive,
assertive sense of control and
appropriate feelings of control.
Empowerment begins with the first
report of the abuse.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
 Ethics in handling sexual abuse
 Avoiding harm and imposing values
 Informed consent
 Safeguard the records and
documentation
 Professional competence
 Information shared with others
 Respecting client rights
 Limitations of confidentiality
 Termination and Referral
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
 Duties and Responsibilities
 Exercise special parental authority
and responsibility over the child
while under supervision,
instruction and custody
 Keep them in their company and
support, educate and instruct them
by right percept and good example

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
 Duties and Responsibilities
 Give them love and affection,
advice and counsel, companionship
and understanding;
 Enhance, protect, preserve &
maintain their physical and mental
health at all times
 Perform other duties as are
imposed by law upon them, as
substitute parents or guardians
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Thank you

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
 References

 Robin Warshaw, I never called it rape (2019)

 Les Parrott III, Helping the Struggling Adolescent:
A guide to thirty common problems for parents,
counselors & youth workers , (1993)

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION