Overview

In Australia, one in six women and one in 25 men experience sexual assault. With the high prevalence of sexual violence, many psychologists will see clients who have been victims of sexual assault. 

Although few women disclose experiences of sexual violence, research shows that four in ten will seek advice from a health professional, including psychologists. Psychologists are uniquely positioned to ask patients about violence, validate their experiences, provide trauma informed care and facilitate support, however, many do not feel equipped to do so.

This training program is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Social Services under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032. The training will equip healthcare professionals to recognise and respond appropriately to adult disclosures of sexual violence.

This 6.5-hour interactive activity aims to cover immediate and long-term care for patients who are known to be at a higher risk of experiencing sexual violence. The curriculum is patient-centred and recognises and addresses the risk of vicarious trauma for health practitioners in caring for victim/survivors of sexual violence. The program is designed to be practical, and the practice-focused units will include a Sexual Assault Response Resource developed by specialist forensic medical practitioners. This guideline supports workplace operationalisation of course learning.

This is the third of a three-unit program and combines:

• 30 minutes of pre-reading,

• 1 hour introduction webinar (Zoom),

• 4 hours self-directed eLearning (Moodle), and

• 1 hour closing webinar (Zoom).

This Unit can also be delivered in a Face-to-Face delivery mode that takes place as a one day workshop.

Content warning

Due to the nature of the content of this unit, please be aware that you will be exposed to both descriptions and images that are confronting, including images and descriptions of victims and serious injuries.
If you are in any way concerned about being exposed to such content, we strongly recommend that you contact the unit support officer via email at [email protected] to further discuss before moving forward with this unit.

Please consider your environment when completing this course:

• Avoid completing this course when others are in view (e.g. family, co-workers, in public).

• Lock your screen when unattended.

• Ensure your computer has an up-to-date anti-virus installed and running.

• Ensure appropriate privacy particularly for the subject matter

• Protect the time; arrange cover for responsibilities (e.g. on-call, childcare).

Duration of access

8 weeks

Level of Learning

Foundational. This activity is targeted to those new to the topic.

Target audience

This activity is suitable for Psychologists in all career stages, General Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals including Psychiatrists, Nurses, Doctors, Midwives, Paramedics, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners, Occupational Therapists, and Nurse Practitioners.

APS CPD-Approved

This activity has been assessed against the APS Standards for CPD activities and approved for its education quality. Learn more about the APS CPD Approval process.

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Sexual violence drivers & impacts - Unit 1

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• identify forms of sexual violence experienced by at-risk patients and address barriers to disclosure,

• apply and integrate understanding of intersectionality and response frameworks into healthcare for patients from at-risk cohorts who disclose sexual violence,

• formulate patient-focused healthcare for at-risk patients who have experienced sexual violence, and

• evaluate patient needs and apply understanding of psycho-social support services to provide referrals that address a patient's complex and diverse needs and pathway for recovery.

Presenter(s)

About the presenter(s)

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