Resources for Survivors
Specifically tailored to Occupational Therapy Practitioners; based on a doctoral capstone project completed by Isabelle Reilly with mentorship from Dr. Colton Sayers, OTD, OTR/L, CNS, and Dr. Alaa Abou-Arab, OTD, OT/L at Keck Graduate Institution
Help Is Available
Hotlines for Survivors of Sexual Violence
National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN)- Phone: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) Website: rainn.org
National Domestic Violence Hotline-Phone: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) TTY: 1-800-787-3224 Website: thehotline.org
Loveisrespect (National Dating Abuse Helpline)-Phone: 1-866-331-9474 TTY: 1-866-331-8453 Text: LOVEIS to 22522 Website: loveisrespect.org
StrongHearts Native Helpline-Phone: 1-844-762-8483 Website: strongheartshelpline.org
1in6 (Support for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse)-Online Helpline: 1in6.org/helpline Website: 1in6.org
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Phone:-1-800-273-8255 Website: suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Crisis Text Line Text: HOME to 741741 Website: crisistextline.org
Ujima: The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community- Phone: 1-844-77-UJIMA (1-844-778-5462) Website: ujimacommunity.org
LGBT National Help Center National Hotline: 1-888-843-4564
National Youth Talkline: 1-800-246-7743 Website: glbthotline.org
Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence-Phone: 1-415-568-3315 Website: api-gbv.org
Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network-Phone: 1-651-646-5553 Website: casadeesperanza.org
Trans Lifeline-Phone: 1-877-565-8860 Website: translifeline.org
LGBTQIA+ Crisis Text Line Text: LGBTQIA to 741741 Website: crisistextline.org
“We must continue to provide concrete paths to resources and advocate for policy change, so survivors know that their voices will be heard and acknowledged.” — Katie Ray-Jones
Laws and Policies
Existing Legislation
Other laws vary by state
Proposed Legislation
S.5132 - SAFE for Survivors Act of 2024 that was considered in the 118th Congress
Advocacy measures can involve encouraging representatives to consider these bills for reintroduction/subsequent support in the 119th Congress
General Advocacy Toolkit for OT Practitioners and Students
Case Studies For Discussion
It is proposed that the case scenarios (linked below) be utilized to discuss sexual violence response and prevention to better prepare graduate students before the start of their post-graduate employment. However, these case studies can be used with current practitioners as well, as they cover boundaries, supportive workplace actions, supervisor responsibilities, de-escalation, and more. Note: Case scenarios mention details of hypothetical sexual violence in the workplace and may be distressing for some individuals.
Additional Materials: The research brief was created for presentation to legislators at the federal level. The poster linked is a culmination of results from the student's capstone research project. Feel free to reach out to reillyizzy@gmail.com with any questions on either product or the website.
Synopsis of Capstone Research
Survey: n=41 Interviews: n=3
Methods
This study utilized a mixed methods approach to further understanding of
workplace sexual violence in occupational therapy. The Institutional Review
Board at Claremont Graduate University certified this project as exempt. The
survey was conducted on Qualtrics and included yes/no, checkbox, and Likert
Scale questions, as well as one open-ended qualitative question at the end.
Interviews followed a semi-structured format and were conducted via Zoom
video conferencing. Measures were taken to protect participant confidentiality.
Data was analyzed using SPSS and ATLAS.ti.
Results
Using a Chi-squared Test, an association was
found between participant age and
experience of sexual violence, with
participants under the age of 45 more likely
to report having experienced sexual violence
in the workplace.53% of survey participants indicated that
they have experienced sexual violence in the
workplace as an OTP at least once during
their career.The most frequent types of sexual violence
reported were unwanted sexual comments and
jokes (49%), followed by inappropriate
touching or groping (29%).Patients and clients were the most common
perpetrators of sexual violence (27%).
Implications to Practice
Future research is needed to gain a better understanding of the scope of the
issue in occupational therapy. Recommendations for change derived from
qualitative data included policy modifications, such as survivor-centered
reporting, education, and training efforts, including discussions with
occupational therapy students before they begin fieldwork. Additionally,
cultural adjustments were suggested, including supervisors serving as strong
role models and taking reports seriously.