Law Enforcement Responding to Sexual Assaults
Law Enforcement Responding to Sexual Assaults By: Sergeant Rich Mankewich, Major Case/Sex Crimes, Orange County Sheriff’s Office For years, law enforcement officers have never been fully trained to recognize and address the psychological and emotional trauma associated with a sexual assault. During initial interviews, victims often are inconsistent, not showing emotion and unable to provide detailed information […]
The Link Between Homelessness and Sexual Violence
By: Evan Smith, Communications Coordinator at the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness The person standing on the corner, sign in hand, is hoping for a few dollars. They have no home and little hope. Their life has come to a point where pride is discarded and survival takes the lead. One day to the next, […]
Who’s volunteering?
By: Cynthia L. Coutard Volunteer & Events Coordinator, Victim Service Center of Central Florida In the fall of 2014, something unique happened: for the first time in a decade Americans stopped volunteering. Said more optimistically, the volunteer rate across America began to decline. According to the Corporation for National and Community Service; who monitors volunteerism throughout […]
June 2015: VSC’s Lead Advocate Discusses Sexual Assault
June 2015: VSC’s Lead Advocate Discusses Sexual Assault VSC Interview with Sarah Webb, VSC’s Lead Victim Advocate Interviewer: Can you introduce yourself? Sarah Webb: Hi, name is Sarah Webb and I’m the Lead Advocate with the Victim Service Center of Central Florida. Interviewer: What is your role at VSC? Sarah Webb: The Victim Service Center is […]
A Survivor Perspective
A Survivor Perspective By: Danielle Sullivan, Sexual Assault Survivor One of the many things I’ve learned looking back at my time as a client of the Victim Service Center of Central Florida, is that in reality, its name is a misnomer. Yes, they serve victims in Central Florida – they do so much more than […]
SAAM Highlights!
Sexual Assault Awareness Month Highlights By: Lui Damiani, Executive Director April, which is globally recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, was a very special month at the Victim Service Center of Central Florida! The month kicked off with City of Orlando Mayor, Buddy Dyer, and Orange County Mayor, Teresa Jacobs, reading separate proclamations for the […]
Helping Hand: What you can do for the Survivor in Your Life
Helping Hand: What you can do for the Survivor in Your Life By: Meghan Hahl, VSC Therapy Intern For many of us, it is difficult to imagine being a victim in a sexual assault crime. We may associate sexual assault with fictional horror stories that we see on television, or the headline that we skim over […]
See Us Around Town!
Victim Service Center of Central Florida has announced the largest awareness campaign in our fifteen year history! We will have billboards all over Orange and Osceola Counties during 2015 to ensure that people know where to go to get help when an assault occurs and how bystanders can take action to help prevent sexual violence […]
Grieving Sexual Assault
Grieving Sexual Assault: Applying Grief to the Trauma of Rape By: Meghan Hahl, Therapy Intern When someone says the word “rape,” or discusses the idea of sexual assault, one rarely thinks to associate the traumatic incident with the concept of grief. When survivors consider their pain and the trauma they have experienced, the idea of going […]
5 Benefits of Mindfulness
5 Benefits of Mindfulness By: Gina Skopec, Therapy Intern Mindfulness is a state of being in which one has moment-to-moment awareness of his or her experience and surroundings without passing judgment (Davis & Hayes, 2012). The concept of mindfulness has been gaining popularity in the fields of counseling and psychology over recent years as a practice that […]
