Victim advocates help with healing process

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Brigitte Brantley
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  When one of her best friends in high school was sexually assaulted, Frances Elmore wasn't really sure how to handle the situation.

She felt helpless but knew at that moment that she wanted to make a difference and help victims of sexual assault. This goal helped her to earn a master's degree in social work and to eventually become Moody's Sexual Assault Response Coordinator in 2004.

Now, Ms. Elmore is searching for other individuals who also want to help victims of sexual assault. These are victim advocate volunteers that provide crisis intervention and ongoing non-clinical support for sexual assault victims while also providing information on available options and resources for making informed decisions about the case.

"Right now, there are only seven trained victim advocates here on base, and it would be great to get one from each eligible unit," said Ms. Elmore. "Ineligible units include those where there might be a conflict of interest, such as the legal office or the Base Chapel.

"Eligible individuals are active-duty military and Department of Defense civilian employees who are interviewed and then selected by the SARC and who have completed the required training."

Victim advocates are required to attend a 40-hour training course that covers a wide variety of topics that are essential in ensuring a victim is taken care of.

"The victim advocate must be able to be reached at all times, so it's extremely important that we prepare them correctly," said Ms. Elmore. "The training they receive educates them on definitions of sexual assault, teaches them how to be empathetic with a victim, provides them with resources in the community that are available to them, describes the different reporting options available and explains how to transfer cases.

"The training teaches each victim advocate to be sympathetic with a victim and that a victim is never to blame."

Individuals volunteer to become victim advocates for many different reasons, said Ms. Elmore.

"Often, a person will volunteer for personal reasons because they would like to console someone who reminds them of a family member or friend," she said. "They do it out of compassion for those who have been victimized.

"They are there to help support a victim and guide them in the next step of the healing process."

An essential part of the healing process is to not keep all of the feelings bottled up inside, said Ms. Elmore.

"Talking helps to heal wounds from the past," she said. "Especially for those who are revictimized, it helps them realize, 'I need to talk about this' and we help them understand the blame is strictly on the offender.

"If we don't get the word out about sexual assault and those it has affected, it will continue, said Ms. Elmore. "That is why victim advocates are especially important and vital to helping those who have been a victim of sexual assault."