Sexual Assault Risk Reduction and Response (SARR)

Tuesday Training Package

This training outline covers three sessions which comprises the second day of a 5-day (40-hour)
training. Sessions 1 and 2, Effective Communication with Victims and Survivors and Tool for Success
are to be facilitated to SARLs and SSCs as mixed groups in two break-out sessions. Afternoon sessions,
Understanding Medical and Legal Processes and Understanding Post Trauma Reactions are to be
facilitated as a plenary session to SARLs and SSCs. Italicized notes in the trainer’s manual indicate
language that should be read directly to participants or paraphrased as closely as possible to what is
written.

Session Titles:
I. Effective Communication with Victims and Survivors (SARLs and SSCs
in blue and green mixed break-out groups; 2 hours)

II. Tools for Success (SARLs and SSCs in blue and green mixed break-out
groups; 2.5 hours)
 Interacting with Different Types of Victims
 Victim Relations
 Team Communications

III. Understanding Medical and Legal Processes (SARLs and SSCs in

plenary; 2 hours, 15 minutes)
 SAFE exam demo
 Legal Environment Surveys

IV. Understanding Post-Trauma Reactions (SARLs and SSCs in plenary; 1.5

hours)

Total Tuesday Time: 8 hours, 15 minutes not including breaks

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Session Title: Effective Communication with Victims and Survivors
Mixed SARL/ SSC groups split across two rooms. Approx. 25 participants per room.

Date: Tuesday, Session One Time: 2 hours Facilitator(s): One lead facilitator and one
discussion leader at each table.
Learning Objectives:

 Demonstrate the use of five communication skills to establish trust (active listening, paraphrasing,
reflective listening, affirmation, and open-ended and closed-ended questions).

 Differentiate between open-ended and closed-ended questions.

Introduction 5
Active-listening mini-lecture/ pair share 5
It Changed My Life Story Activity 15
Non-verbal communication mini-lecture 5
Paraphrasing mini-lecture 5
Paraphrasing modeling and debrief 10
Reflective Listening mini-lecture 5
Reflective Listening practice 15
Affirmation mini-lecture 5
Listening checklist 5
Questions Mini-lecture 5
Questions activity 10
Total Minutes 120

Preparation:

Room Set: Round tables; 8 or 9 participants to across 3 tables (table composition is not important for this
session)

Facilitators Required: 2 Facilitators and 3 Discussion Leaders per room. Discussion leaders can be staff if there
are enough available or ask for a participant from each table to serve as the discussion leader. If participants
are discussion leaders, lead facilitators need to monitor conversations carefully.

You will need:

- PowerPoint presentation entitled: “Effective Communication with Victims and Survivors”
- Flip chart
- Markers
- Foundations of Communication reading (in participant binders)
- Listening checklist (in participant binders)
- Equity Cards (index cards with participant names on them)
- Copies of three graphic case scenarios (print enough so each table gets one copy of one scenario i.e. if there
are 10 tables, print 4 copies, totaling 12 scenarios. Some tables with have the same scenario which is fine.)
- 2 question trees posted around room on flip chart paper

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 Time Instructional Sequence Materials

Introduction  Slide 1: Title Slide - PPT

- Laptop/ projector
 Slide 2: Introduce learning objectives and inform
5 mins - Flipchart and
participants that there are post-it notes on their tables to
markers
jot down questions for the question tree. Tell participants
- Two Question
that facilitators will periodically collect questions and will
trees posted
address any unanswered ones before the end of the
around room on
session.
flip chart paper
Please note that the Power Point slides and additional - Post-its on tables
resources related to this session can be found in Tab 6 of - Foundations of
both SARL and SSC binders. Communication
reading (in
 Slide 3: Ask for a few volunteers to answer the question:
binders)
“How would you define effective communication?” Use
- Blue/ Green group
equity cards if desired.
Equity Cards
 Slide 3 (cont.) click to reveal: the definition “In effective
communication, one person conveys information or a
message to another, and they both agree on the meaning.”
 Explain that for the purpose of working with a shared
understanding of what effective communication entails,
we will be working with this definition today.
 Slide 4: Explain that during this session we will be
practicing five key skills that are the foundation of effective
communication:
1. Active Listening;
2. Paraphrasing;
3. Reflective Listening;
4. Affirmation; and
5. Open-ended vs. Closed-ended Questions.
These communication skills are the building blocks to establish
rapport and build trust between Peace Corps staff and volunteers.
We acknowledge that many of you are likely already practicing
effective communication. This is an opportunity to fine tune these
important skills.

Active Listening Slide 5: We will begin our practice today with active listening. N/A
Mini-lecture/
 Ask: Who can tell me what active listening is? Use equity
pair-share
cards to call on a participant to respond. Allow for one or
two ideas from participants.
5 mins
Active Listening is different from marginal listening (e.g., the
listener is not listening carefully; mind is wandering) and evaluative
listening (e.g., the listener is assessing the speaker’s remarks and
planning what to say in response). During active listening we
should be:

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  Carefully listening to what the speaker is saying,
without judgment or evaluation.

 Listening to both the content of the message as well as

the feelings that are being expressed.

 Attempting to “stand in the other’s shoes” to

understand and relate to another’s situation and
feelings.

Slide 5 (cont): click to reveal question in bubble and ask group,

“how can you demonstrate active listening?”
Allow for a few responses then say, Active listening can be
demonstrated by numerous behaviors.
Some examples include:
Slide 5 (cont): click to reveal:
 Be attentive.
 Take time to listen to the story without interrupting.
 Allow silence.
 Ask for clarification or repetition of statements.
 Listen without judgment.
 Set your reactions aside and focus on the volunteer’s
feelings.
Slide 6: Cover points on why Active Listening is especially
important in sexual assault from slide and ask if anyone has
questions or anything to add.
It Changed My Slide 7: It Changed my Life N/A
Life Activity
The purpose of this activity is to practice and receive feedback on
15 mins listening skills.

- Ask participants to form pairs with someone they do not know.

They should sit facing their partner. Ask one person from each
pair to raise his or her hand. Designate that person as “A” and
the other as “B.”

- Ask the A’s to share for 3 minutes a time when they made a
decision that they knew would affect the rest of their life.

Encouraged participants to talk about a decision they are

comfortable in sharing with others. They do not have to choose a
particularly difficult or traumatic decision. Facilitator should
provide a personal anecdote about a decision they made that
changed their life.

If participants are anxious about the risks involved in this exercise,

ask how people determine what is safe to share and with whom
they feel safe sharing. Ask them to put themselves in the shoes of a
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 volunteer who tells their story to strangers or people they do not
know very well and usually the strangers also are people who the
volunteer views as having authority.

 While A’s are sharing, B’s give their total attention to what A is
saying and do not speak.

 After 3 minutes, call time. Switch roles so that B’s share and
A’s listen, without speaking.

 Ask pairs to spend a couple minutes discussing how they think

they did demonstrating active listening.

Slide 8: At each table, facilitators should lead a discussion for

approximately 10 minutes around the following questions:

As the speaker:

 Did you feel listened to?

 What did your partner do that contributed to feeling listened

to?

 Did you feel that your partner understood what you were
saying and how you were feeling?

 Was there anything that your partner did that prevented you
from feeling listened to?

As the listener:

 Did you feel that you could really listen without making
judgments or having your attention wander?

 Did you feel that you understood what your partner was saying
and feeling?

Face-to-face communication is made up of:

 Verbal cues—Spoken words.

 Nonverbal cues—Facial expressions, gestures, position of body

and body orientation, physical space.

Non-verbal Slide 9: Non-verbal Communication N/A

Communication
mini-lecture/ Face-to-face communication is made up of:
pair-share
 Verbal cues—Spoken words.
5 mins
 Nonverbal cues—Facial expressions, gestures, position of body
and body orientation, physical space.

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 In nonverbal communication, the words you use are the least
important factor in communicating the message to the other
person. The majority of the meaning conveyed while
communicating with someone is expressed without words.

Slide 9 (cont): Click to reveal ways we express ourselves non-

verbally. Ask participants to share if they recognized any
additional non-verbal cues during the “It changed my life” activity.

Slide 10: As many of you are probably aware, it is important to

note that different cultures have different non-verbal cues. For
example, some cultures are more comfortable with personal
touch than others, etc.

Discuss with a partner: In your experience, what differences have

you noticed between the nonverbal cues in your culture versus the
nonverbal cues in American culture? Conduct a two-minute all
group debrief by asking for volunteers to share what they
discussed with their partner.

Paraphrasing Slide 11: We are now going to move on to another skill that is N/A
Mini-lecture important for effective communication, paraphrasing.

5 mins Ask participants, ‘can someone define paraphrasing? Use equity

cards, or allow for a few random responses, then paraphrase: 

Paraphrasing is stating back what you understood the person to

say in your own words. The idea is to pick up the highlights, or
main points. The main reason you paraphrase is to test your
understanding of what someone has said. A second purpose is to
let the person know you are trying to understand their situation.
Paraphrasing can also help focus and summarize many (potentially
scattered) thoughts a Volunteer has shared. When you
paraphrase, you want to listen to how the victim responds. The
response will indicate if you have accurately paraphrased what was
said.

Techniques to practice paraphrasing:

 Listen to the speaker carefully, focusing on key words, phrases,

and concepts.

 Repeat what the speaker has said, using your own words,
without changing the meaning.

 Paraphrasing often begins with:

 “So what I hear you saying is …”

 “In other words …”

 “What I understand you to say is …”

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  “If I hear you correctly …”

The purpose of paraphrasing is too make sure that you have heard
and understood what the volunteer has said and is feeling.
Effective paraphrasing helps avoid misunderstandings between you
and the volunteer. Paraphrasing is effective to use before moving
on to another subject.

Paraphrasing Slide 12: The two lead facilitators should now paraphrase a story N/A
Modeling and one tells the other to model effective paraphrasing. Facilitators
debrief can be creative here. One facilitator tells the other a brief story
and then the other should paraphrase. The facilitator who
10 mins paraphrases should be sure to use paraphrasing language from
slide 11.

Following the paraphrasing modeling by the lead facilitators

conduct an all-group discussion around the following questions on
slide 12:

 Did you feel the story was effectively

paraphrased? Why or why not?

 What paraphrasing language was used?

 Was anything said that made you think that the

story was not paraphrased accurately?

Reflective Slide 13: Reflective Listening N/A

Listening mini-
lecture We are now going to move on to the third skill that builds the
foundation for effective communication, reflective listening.
5 mins
Ask (possibly use equity cards): Can anyone tell me what they think
the difference between paraphrasing and reflective listening might
be? After one or two responses say:

The difference between paraphrasing and reflective listening is that

in paraphrasing you are only summarizing what the victim has said.
With reflective listening, you are going beyond summarizing to
identifying feelings that the volunteer may not have identified, but
their words and attitudes point to such feelings.

Slide 13 (cont.): Click to reveal definition on slide and paraphrase:

Reflecting feelings means expressing in new words the volunteer’s

essential feelings, rather than the details of what they said.
Reflecting involves identifying feelings from body cues as well as
words.

Slide 13 (cont.): Click slide again to reveal the purpose of reflective

listening and paraphrase the explanation on the slide.

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Slide 14: Reflective Listening (cont.)

Reflective Listening can be summarized into two basic steps.

First, listen to the total message of what the volunteer is saying –
stated feelings, nonverbal expressions, and the content. Then,
reflect what you observe about the PCV’s emotional state. For
example, a SARL may say “It sounds as though you are really
offended and frightened by your counterpart’s sexual advances.”

Reflecting is one way of showing volunteers that we empathize

with them. It can help bring insight, build rapport, and provide
relief to volunteers if it is done without editorializing or expressing
judgment. It also is a check to be sure we comprehend how the
PCV is feeling.

Ask, can anyone tell me what rapport means?

Allow for a few responses and then click the slide again to show
the “RAPPORT” acronym. Explain that this is just a fun way to
remember the meaning.

Respecting
Another
Person’s
Perspective (for)
Obtaining
Respect (and)
Trust

Sum-up: Learning how to recognize and express feelings can be

difficult, especially when speaking with Volunteers in English if it
is your second language. You can start by looking for the big four
feelings: anger, sadness, fear, and joy. For example, “you were
angry”, “you sound sad”, “that was scary”, or “you felt happy.” It
is not necessary to reflect every statement.

Optional all group discussion: What other feelings might need to

reflect when supporting volunteers? Conduct an all group
discussion around what other feeling words staff might need to
reflect to Volunteers. Document the feeling words on flipchart and
post around room.

Note that reflective listening is not therapy.

Slide 15: Review the following techniques and examples of

reflective listening on the left-hand side of the slide:

 Listen to the volunteer carefully.

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  Make a mental note of key points.

 Notice how you are feeling.

 Ask yourself how you would feel if you were the volunteer as
you listen to them share their experience.

 Listen for what is not being said.

Slide 15 (cont.): Click to reveal language to use on the right-hand

side of the slide. Explain that reflective listening often begins with:

 “That must make you feel …”

 “It sounds like you were really feeling …”

 “If I were in your shoes, I might have concerns about that

also.”

 “I can see why you’re feeling …”

Reflective  Slide 15 (cont.): Click to review instructions in text box N/A

Listening at the bottom of the screen and explain that we are
Practice now going to practice our reflective listening skills.

15 mins  Ask each participant to find a new person at their table

to practice reflective listening skills. Ask the person
with the longest hair to be “A” and to go first. A’s are
to share the same story of a decision they made that
changed their life. If they prefer, A can tell B a new
story. They should pick a story about something they
did that they have strong feelings about, either
negative or positive. B’s are to respond using reflective
listening skills.

 After 3 minutes, call time and ask participants to

switch roles. This time, ask the pairs to turn their
chairs around so they are facing away from each other.
Or, if they are uncomfortable facing away from each
other, they can hold a piece a paper up between them.
They idea is so they communicate but cannot see one
another.

 After 3 minutes, call time.

Slide 16: At each table, facilitators should lead a discussion for

approximately 10 minutes around the following questions:

1. What did your partner say that made you feel understood?

2. Did anyone have any trouble staying focused on what your

partner was saying?

3. When might you need to use caution in reflecting a

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 Volunteers’ feelings?

4. How can you stay present and focused while listening to a

Volunteer when you know that you have many other work
responsibilities?

5. What changed when you could not see your partner,

either as the speaker or the listener?

6. What can we do to prevent misunderstandings when we

cannot see or hear someone?

Affirmation - Slide 17: Affirmations: Paraphrase the definitions and purpose -

mini-lecture of affirmations from the slide:

5 mins Affirmations are:

Statements that recognize and validate a victim or survivor’s

strengths and acknowledge that they have been harmed.

Purpose of Affirmations:

To help build the victim or survivor’s confidence in his or her ability

to persist.

Slide 18: Review techniques to practice affirmation:

 Listen carefully to the volunteer’s experience and identify

points that indicate their strength.

 Validate the strength based on what you heard; affirmations

must be congruent with what the volunteer has shared.

 Affirmations must be genuine; they are not effective if they are

not believed by you.

Slide 18 (cont.): Click to reveal “Language to Use” on left-side of

slide:

Affirmations often begin with:

 “I think it is great that you want to do something about

this situation.”

 “I appreciate how hard it must have been for you to decide

to …”

 “You are certainly a resourceful person to have been able

to …”

 “You took a big step.”

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  “You certainly are coping with a lot of problems right now.”

Listening Slide 19: Before we move on to the final skill we will be practice - Listening checklist
checklist during this session, open and closed-ended questions, I’d like
everyone to take a moment to reflect on the listening skills we
5 mins have discussed thus far. Please take a few moments to
honestly evaluate your own listening skills by completing the
“listening checklist” at the back of Tab 6 your participant
binder.

- Ask each participant to spend a few moments completing their

listening self- assessment checklist in their participant binders.
Explain that this is simply for their own reflection and do not
have to share the responses with anyone. They should
complete the listening checklist as honestly as possible.

Open-Closed  The final skill we will be learning about and practicing today - N/A
ended are questions, both open and closed-ended. Who can tell me
Questions the difference between the two?
Mini-lecture
 Elicit a few responses from the group (possibly using equity
5 mins cards).

 Slide 20: Reveal the definitions of each type of question one at

a time and paraphrase definitions on slide and say:

Remember: Before you ask a question, ask yourself what

information you need to get. Do not ask questions based on your
interest; ask questions that will help you provide effective services
to the Volunteer.

Ask questions one at a time. Multiple questions can easily confuse

the other person.

Remind participants of the importance of not asking “why”

questions to victims of sexual assault so they do not feel they are
being accused or blamed for their actions.

Ask the whole group and elicit a few responses:

 Can someone provide some examples of open-ended

questions you might ask a Volunteer following a sexual
assault?

 Can someone provide some examples of closed-ended

questions you might ask a Volunteer following a sexual

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 assault?

Facilitator’s note: If participant’s are having a difficult time

generating open vs. closed ended questions, suggest changing
below activity to be done as a large group instead of at tables.

Questions  Slide 21: Distribute one graphic case scenario to each table. - Three graphic case
Scenario scenarios
Activity  Ask each table to read their scenario, and work as a team - Flipchart and
to develop a list of 10 questions (5 open and 5 closed- Markers
10 mins ended that you would ask the Volunteer) in order to
provide effective support.

Call time after 10 minutes. Ask groups to write the scenario

number they worked on at the top of their flip chart.

Time permitting, debrief a few of the scenarios by asking for

sample questions the groups generated based on their
scenario.

Flipcharts should be posted by scenario number in clusters on

walls around the room for a gallery walk during lunch.

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Session Title: Tools for Success

Date: Tuesday, Session Two Time: 2 ½ hours Facilitator(s):

Learning Objectives:
Interactive with Different Types of Victims
 Explain common assumptions and the impact of these assumptions on supporting different types of
victims.
 Outline steps for providing the most effective support possible according to victim type.

Victim Relations
 Identify ways to establish trust with for a volunteer through demonstrating acceptance, empathy,
support, and transparency.

Team Communications
 Recognize the importance of, and strategies for, effective team communication when supporting
volunteer victims of sexual assault.
Timing:

Introduction and Mini-lecture 10

Five-minute presentation preparation 15
Five-Minute Presentation share-out 45
Mini-lecture on Language tips 10
Victim Relations lecture, handout
completion and share-out 20
Mini-lecture on Team Communication 10
Role Plays 40
Total Minutes 150

Preparation:
Room Set: Round tables; approx.. 8 participants to each table (table composition is not important for this
session)
Facilitators Required: 2 Presenters
You will need:
- PowerPoint presentation entitled: “Tools for Success”
- Flip chart
- Markers
- Minute warning cards

All of these materials are in Tab 7 of the SARL and SSC binders.
-
 Interpreting and Responding to Behavior (in binders)

 Group Presentation (in binders)

 Language Tips (in binders)

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  Tips for Assisting a Volunteer (in binders)

 Effective Victim Relations (in binders)

 Role Plays (in binders)

 Role Play Observation Checklist (in binders)

Post 5 flipcharts around the room with the following titles:

1. A female volunteer raped by a host country national;
2. A male volunteer sexually assaulted by another male volunteer;
3. A lesbian volunteer sexually assaulted by a non-volunteer ex-pat living in country;
4. A gay male volunteer raped by a host country national male;
5. A female volunteer sexually assaulted by a male volunteer.

Time Instructional Sequence Materials

Introduction and Slide 1 (title) & 2: Provide brief introduction of the days’ topics and PPT
Mini-lecture learning objectives for this session. Point out that the Power Point
10 mins slides and additional resources related to this session can be found Flipchart paper for
in Tab 7 of both SARL and SSC binders. Ask if there are any facilitators
questions about the learning objectives.
Markers for
Slide 3: Interacting with Different Victim Types facilitators
The first part of this session examines how we, as SARLS and SSCs
who are sexual assault support providers, may respond to Interpreting and
volunteers depending on a variety a factors. These factors may Responding to
include: Behavior handout
(in binders)
o How the volunteer manifests the impact of the assault:
Are they crying, hysterical, avoiding the situation,
closed-off, etc.
o The characteristics of the assault: was the offender a
stranger of someone the volunteer knew; Was there
alcohol involved, etc.
o Who the volunteer is: are they male/ female,
young/old, gay/ straight?

 Turn and talk- Ask participants to turn to the

Interpreting and Responding to Behavior handout
which can be found in Tab 7 of the binders.

The chart on this handout outlines three things:

1. Some common behaviors that people who have been

victims of sexual assault may display;
2. The common theory or assumptions associated with the
behavior; and
3. The suggested manner in which a SARL/ SSC could respond
to the behavior.

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 Please note that the theories associated with the behaviors are
assumptions and should be avoided. We will be talking more
during the joint training day on Thursday about the importance of
avoiding assumptions.

It is also important to keep in mind that the trauma of sexual

assault can cause confusion and/or memory loss. The behaviors on
the chart do not indicate the Volunteer is being dishonest about the
assault.

This handout is a reference for you to use as you work with

Volunteers who have been victims of sexual assault that may
demonstrate the impact of the assault through different types of
behaviors.

5-minute Slide 4: Interacting with Different Victim Types Five pre-made

presentations flipcharts with
preparation You will notice that there are 5 flipcharts posted around the room different victim/
with the following titles: assault descriptions
15 mins 1. A female Volunteer raped by a host country national; (to be posted
2. A male Volunteer sexually assaulted by another male around room)
Volunteer;
3. A lesbian Volunteer sexually assaulted by a male non-
Volunteer ex-pat living in country; Five- minute
4. A gay male Volunteer raped by a host country national presentation
male; handout (in binders)
5. A female Volunteer with a physical disability sexually
assaulted by a male Volunteer.

Please stand up and move to a flipchart that describes a sexual

assault that is particularly interesting to you or with which you
might find it challenging to work.

Facilitators note: If there are flipcharts that are very under or

over- represented, ask if a few participants would be willing to
move to their second choice.

Slide 5: Refer participants to the five-minute presentation handout

and discuss the questions with their group based on the scenario
they chose.

Each group will then work together for about 10 minutes to

prepare a 5-minute presentation that addresses the questions
provided on the presentations handout as well as shown on Slide
5:

 Name at least two assumptions that could be made about

this Volunteer following a sexual assault.
 How might these assumptions impact the way in which
Peace Corps staff, local law enforcement, or friends and
family back home interact with this person?
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  What steps might you take to better respond to this
Volunteer’s needs?

Facilitator’s note: The presentations can be panel discussions, role

plays, talk shows, etc. Encourage creativity as much as possible. If
participants choose to do a straight-forward lecture style
presentation they should select one “reporter” to share out with
the rest of the group in order to save time.

5-minute Presentations can be given in the order they are shown on Slide 4: Five- minute
presentations presentation
1. A female Volunteer raped by a host country national; handout (in binders)
45 mins 2. A male Volunteer sexually assaulted by another male
Volunteer; 2 minute, 1 minute
3. A lesbian Volunteer sexually assaulted by a male non- warning cards
Volunteer ex-pat living in country;
4. A gay male Volunteer raped by a host country national
male;
5. A female Volunteer with a physical disability sexually
assaulted by a male Volunteer.

- While participants give their 5-minute presentations give them

a 2-minute and 1-minute warning.
(5 minutes * 5 presentations= 25 minutes + transition time)

- After each presentation, allow for one or two questions/

comments.

- Encourage participants to take notes about possible

assumptions and assistance strategies presented about each
victim type during the presentations on the five minute
presentations handout. (2 minutes after each presentation* 5
presentations= 10 minutes)

Language tips Slide 6- Language Tips Language Tips

mini-lecture handout (in binders)
The language tips on this slide are just a few examples of language
10 mins to use and language to avoid when working with volunteer victims Assisting a
of sexual assault. In general, it is a good idea to: Volunteer handout
(in binders)
 Avoid ‘why’ questions,
 Don’t placate or say don’t worry about that now. If a
volunteer raises a concern it should be treated seriously.
 Explain what they can expect from you and what they can
expect to happen next.
 Don’t manage the volunteer to make it more comfortable
for you. Don’t say you can ‘fix this’.

Remember, it’s okay to say ‘I don’t know but I will try to find out for
you’.

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 For additional ideas on language tips, please turn your attention to
the Language Tips handout in your binders for further guidance.
Let a facilitator know if you have any questions about language to
use or language to avoid that you would like to take offline.

 Give participants a few minutes to read over the Language

Tips handout and address any related questions.

Please note that we will be further exploring tips for effective

communication with volunteer victims of sexual assault in the next
session.

You will also note the “Assisting a Volunteer” handout in your

binder as an additional resource. Feel free to let a facilitator know
if you have any questions about these tips.

Victim Relations Yesterday, the SARLs worked to generate a list of shared values for Effective Victim
handout their role at as SARLs at Post. Can a SARL in the room please share Relations handout
completion some of the values we discussed? (in binders)

20 mins Allow for a few responses from SARLs then say,

Some of the traits important for effective victim relations include:

Honesty, openness, acceptance, empathy; support. We are now
going to take some time to think about how we can overtly
demonstrate these traits through words, actions and our non-
verbal cues.

 Slide 7: Victim Relations Instruct participants to work with

their country teams to complete the Effective Victim
Relations handout in their participant binders. Explain
that participants do not need to fill in every cell and should
complete the charts to the best of their ability.

Please take a moment to work with your country team to complete

the Effective Victim Relations handout in your binders. Remember
to keep the cultural considerations in mind as you work though the
sheet.

Facilitators note: If time is short, or if it seems like completion of

the victim relations handout will be difficult for participants to do
in pairs, change to an all group exercise.

 Allow approximately 10 minutes for completion of

worksheets. Give a two minute warning before calling
time.

 Time permitting, once participants have completed their

worksheets have them go around the room and each

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 country team names one item from their charts that
someone has not previously mentioned, OR, ask for one or
two volunteers to share out a few responses from their
sheet.

Mini-lecture on Slide 8: As many of you likely already know due to your N/A
team experiences working at Posts, when working with a team of
communication people to provide support to volunteers, effective
and pair-share communication is critical. When working with a volunteer
victim of crime, effective communication can be even more
important. For example, if a volunteer is going to court but
has ongoing medical concerns it is important for the whole
team to be aware of this in order to avoid missing a court
date.

While it can be helpful to take notes so you can remember

important details of a case you may want to share with
your colleagues, it is important to remember that you
should not document a volunteers’ PII for the sake of
confidentiality.

 Ask participants, ‘Who can tell me what PII is’?

After a response say,

In the Kate Puzey Act, PII- Personal Identifying Information

is defined as:

i. First and last name

ii. Home or physical address

iii. Contact info [postal, email, internet

protocol/IP address, telephone, fax #]

iv. SSN or Vol ID

If you find you have documented a volunteer’s PII for any reason,
be sure to shred the document ASAP.

Okay, let’s move on to discuss the overall dynamics of effective

team communication.

 Click to reveal question:

Turn and talk to a partner about :

In your experience, what strategies have you found useful for
achieving effective team communication?
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  Ask for a few volunteers to share what they discussed with
their partner.

Facilitators note: If time is short, skip turn and talk and conduct a
quick all group discussion.

Role Plays  Tell participants they will now be applying some of the
tools we have talked about to scenarios with your country Laura, Kendra and
40 mins team. Ask country teams to determine “who has worked Sam Role plays (in
for Peace Corps the longest?” The person who has worked binders)
for PC the longest will play the SARL/SSC role in the role
play first for the Kendra role play. The person who has Role Play
worked for PC the second longest will play the SARL/ SSC in Observation
the Laura role play. The person who has worked for PC the checklist (in binders)
third longest will play the SARL/ SSC in the Sam role play.

 The other two members for the triad can decide who will
play the volunteer and who will observe while the other
member is role playing the SARL/ SSC.

 Slide 9: Role play instructions:

We are now going to practice using some of the skills for
building trusting relationships with volunteers by
demonstrating the traits of acceptance, empathy, support
and transparency. During the role plays, you will take turns
playing the role of the victim, SARL/SSC and observer. Each
person should play each role at least once.

 While playing the role of the SARL/SSC, you should take

notes on: important next steps, the information you still
need as well as ideas for how you can obtain this
information. Important points to remember, do not probe
the volunteer for information they are not willing to
provide, do not make any promises, explain what they can
expect to happen next if you can. Based on our
conversation about confidentiality earlier, remember to
take personal notes only and avoid writing down Personally
Identifying Information (PII) if you can.

 While playing the observer, take notes in the role play

observation checklist found in Tab 7 of your binders.

 Ask participants to start with the “Kendra” role play.

 While participants are conducting the role plays, walk

around the room and listen. Offer suggestions or model
“ideal” interventions as required. Allow about 5 minutes
for the “Kendra” role play.

 Allow participants approximately 5 minutes for observer to

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 provide feedback to the participant playing the SARL/SSC.

 Ask participants to switch roles and move on to the

“Laura” role play. While participants are conducting the
role play, walk around the room and listen. Offer
suggestions or model “ideal” interventions as required.
Allow about 5 minutes for the “Laura” role play.

 Allow participants approximately 5 minutes for observer to

provide feedback to the SARL.

 Ask participants to switch roles and move on to the “Sam”

role play. While participants are conducting the role play,
walk around the room and listen. Offer suggestions or
model “ideal” interventions as required. Allow about 5
minutes for the “Sam” role play.

 Allow participants approximately 5 minutes for observer to

provide feedback to the SARL.

 Thank participants for their active participation. Conduct

all group debrief as time permits around the following
questions:
 Would anyone like to share out something they
thought their team member did particularly well while
playing the role of the SARL?
 Did you find anything particularly challenging? If so,
what was it?
 Does anyone have any suggestions for overcoming the
challenge?

Confirm with participants that learning objectives were met and

answer any final questions.

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Session Title: Understanding Medical and Legal Processes
Plenary SARL/ SSC session.
Date: Tuesday, Session 3 Time: 2 hours, 15 mins Facilitator(s):

Learning Objectives:

 Clearly explain the criminal investigation and legal process specific to your country and your role
within each.

 Describe the major components of a typical SAFE exam and its potential psychological and physical
impacts on a volunteer.

Preparation:

Room Set: Round tables; 8 participants to each table (participants should sit with their country teams across
7 tables)
Facilitators Required: 2 Presenters
You will need:
- PowerPoint presentation entitled: “Understanding Medical and Legal Processes”
- Flip chart
- Markers
- 3 copies of each countries’ Legal Environment Survey
- LES Summary Sheet (handouts, not in binders)
- Equity Cards (index cards with participant names on them)

Place:

- 2 question trees around room on flip chart paper

- 2 stacks of post-it notes on each table
- 1 SAFE Kit on each table

Time Instructional Sequence Materials

Introduction  Slide 1: Title Slide - PPT

- Laptop/ projector
 Slide 2: Introduce learning objectives and remind
5 mins - Flipchart and
participants of question tree usage to document questions
markers
to be addressed at the end of the session.
- Two Question
 Slide 3: The Process trees posted
This session will follow the below order as it directly around room on
mirrors the actual process a volunteer goes through after flip chart paper
reporting a sexual assault: - Post-its on tables
- Equity Cards
- SAFE kit on each
1. Criminal Investigation
table
2. SAFE exam
3. Legal Process

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Mini-lecture on  Slide 4: Criminal Investigation Process N/A
criminal
investigation The level of power volunteers have related to the legal process
process ends with their reporting of the assault. PC is the first responder as
it pertains to volunteer health and safety. Should a volunteer
10 mins decide to report a sexual assault to local authority, only then do
local law enforcement officials become involved.

It is important that SARLs and SSCs are familiar with the criminal
and legal processes in their country; know their roles and
responsibilities within each as well as who to refer to for
clarifications/ additional information.

It is Peace Corps responsibility to give a clear explanation of the

processes so the volunteer can make an informed decision about
whether to report. Reporting an incident to the local authorities is
the only way an offender could be prosecuted.

We should be ready to explain to volunteers that while a Sexual
Assault Forensic (SAFE) exam is not required, the sooner the SAFE
exam is conducted the more effective the treatment may be and
the more evidence may be found. While the volunteer can certainly
take more time to decide to get a medical exam and to report to
law enforcement, it delays the ability to collect viable evidence.

Practice with a  Slide 4: (cont) N/A

Partner
(optional to As many of you may accompany a volunteer following a sexual
practice as a assault throughout the criminal investigation process, it is
partner) important to prepare for some potentially challenging
conversations. Discuss with a partner the following question:
Alternatively,
conduct as all What would you say to a volunteer if they reported a
group sexual assault to the local authorities and felt that the
discussion authorities did not take them seriously or were rude
during the interview?
10 mins
After 2 minutes ask participants to come back together as a group
and ask if anyone would be willing to model the response they
shared with their partner at the microphone. Thank participant
and have them return to their seat.

What does Slide 5: What would justice mean for you? N/A
justice mean
for you? Pair Take a moment to put yourselves in the shoes of a volunteer victim
share of sexual assault. What would justice mean for you? Do you think
you would define justice by:
10 mins
- The prosecution of the offender?
- The ability to finish your service?
- Feeling you have returned to life as it was before the

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 assault?
- All of the above?
- Something else?

- Are there other forms of justice in your country?

- What are they?

 Allow participants one or two minutes to silently reflect on

these questions.

 Ask them if they are willing, to please share their thoughts

with someone new at their table.

 Debrief conversations by asking if anyone we haven’t

heard from yet would be willing to share their thoughts on
the questions.

 Ask if another new voice would like to share if there are

any other forms of justice in their country if they haven’t
done so already.

SAFE Exam  Slide 6: Kim conducts SAFE exam demo- refer to

Demo participants to handout in binders to follow along.
45 mins:
(30 mins demo/  After demo, participants discuss the following questions
15 mins with a partner:
debrief) - How did this exam make you feel?
- How do you think it would make the volunteer
feel?

Mini-lecture on  Slide 7: The Legal Process

Legal Process
 In the U.S., there are seven phases of the criminal justice
10 mins system:
1. Law enforcement
2. Prosecution
3. Judiciary and courts
 PC staff should not interrupt the law enforcement
interview. They should sit quietly during the interview and
remember that they are there to support the volunteer,
and to address any concerns when the interview is
completed.

LES Review and Slide 8: Peace Corps Statistics One copy of each
Summary participant’s
Exercise Slide 9: Legal Environment Surveys (LES) country specific
Provide brief overview of what a complete LES should contain. LES
40 mins
Explain 10: Explain to participants that they will now work with LES Summary
their country teams to review their country’s LES and complete the handout (in

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 LES summary sheet. The purpose of this activity is for country binders)
teams to familiarize themselves with the LES but more
importantly, think about how they would summarize key points of
the LES for a Volunteer.

 Participants divide into country teams.

 Facilitators distribute one copy to each participant of their

country specific LES.

 Country teams review LES all together and respond to

questions on the LES Summary Sheet which can be found
in Tab 8 of the SARL and SSC binders.

 Participants will likely not finish the activity so assign

completion of the summary sheet and a follow-up
conversation with PCCSSOs as homework.

Wrap-up  Thank participants for their active participation and

answer any outstanding questions from the question tree.
5 mins

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Session Title: Understanding Post- Trauma Reactions
Plenary SARL/ SSC session.
Date: Tuesday, Session 4 Time: 1 hours, 30 mins Facilitator(s): Priscilla Schulz

Learning Objectives:

 Clearly explain the ways in which trauma such as sexual assault can impact a Volunteer.

 Describe actions that SARLs and SSCs can take to help mitigate the impact of trauma in a
Volunteer.

Preparation:

Room Set: Round tables; 8 participants to each table (participants should sit with their country teams across
7 tables)
You will need:
- PowerPoint presentation entitled: “Understanding Post-Trauma Reactions”
- Flip chart
- Markers
- Copies of Trauma Reactions Handout- one per participant
- Equity Cards (index cards with participant names or country names on them)

-
Time Instructional Sequence Materials

Warm-up - Participants write the “three (3) most important things a - PPT
SARL or SSC should do to help a Volunteer immediate - Laptop/ projector
10 mins following of a sexual assault or other trauma” on page 1 - Flipchart and
of handout at the back of Tab 9 in binders. markers
- Two Question
- Participants share responses briefly with a partner. trees posted
around room on
- Facilitator solicits a few responses from the group.
flip chart paper
- Post-its on tables
- Equity Cards
- Handout in
binders
-
Lecture on N/A
trauma Tell participants that copies of the slides are in Tab 9 of their
reactions with participant binders in case they would like to follow along and take
intermittent notes.
checks for
understanding

50 mins

Page 25 of 26
Scenario Participants work with country team to respond to three Handout in binders (p.
exercise questions on page 2 of handout (in binders) related to 2)
“Shelly” scenario.
30 mins
At approximately 9:30pm today, Shelly, an education Volunteer in
a rural village, was at her site when a tall male suddenly entered
her hut armed with a knife. The man was dressed in a black hooded
sweatshirt, dark jeans and tennis shoes. Shelly was not able to see
the assailant's face. The man hit Shelly in the head with a heavy
object which made her dizzy but did not knock her unconscious.
The attacker then pushed Shelly down on to her bed, put a cloth
sack over her head, pulled up her skirt, held her down and raped
her. Immediately following the attack, Shelly ran to her neighbor’s
house who reported the incident to Peace Corps.

1. What concrete care could you provide to Shelly in the

immediate aftermath of the sexual assault?

2. Describe ways that you could help to reduce Shelly’s stress.

3. What information would you offer to Shelly? Consider

what choices you would provide to help her feel
empowered even though some limitations may exist.

Time permitting, country teams share responses briefly with

another country team.

Facilitator solicits a few responses from the group and shares

the “ideal” responses to the questions as a debrief
Wrap-up Thank participants for their active participation and answer any
outstanding questions from the question tree.
5 mins

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