Posted by Cmdr. Brenda Gearhart on January 27, 2009
I recently attended both a training session and a conference that were really interesting and instructive in terms of what I could bring back to DCoE and consider for incorporating and sharing as best practices in the area of interpersonal violence.
The training that I attended was held by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR), which works at the state and national levels to prevent sexual violence and provides services to victims/survivors of sexual violence and their significant others. The training was given to two-person teams from an area– one person was a community-based sexual assault service provider and the other was a military sexual assault service provider. PCAR believes this military-community team model will be most effective when providing training to community-based providers in their area. The training included information on military policies and military culture that may impact the decisions that military sexual assault survivors make. By understanding culture and policy, service providers can give accurate information to survivors so that they can make decisions that are most helpful to them.
As PCAR collaborated with the DoD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO), the information was accurate and informative for those receiving the training. The curriculum was well organized and the instructors were excellent. The participants seemed to enjoy the interactive nature of the training, which included preparing and giving a presentation on a segment of the curriculum. This hands-on approach allowed participants to practice their skills and increase confidence in their instruction abilities before providing the training in their home communities.