Monday marked another milestone in increasing local capacity to respond to sexual assault in American Samoa with 17 participants completing 20 hours of Sexual Assault Advocate and Counselor (SAAC) training.
Non profit organization, Empowering Pacific Island Communities (EPIC), coordinated the workshop which was attended by 17 individuals and service providers from the government as well as faith-based organizations.
Tim Logan and Kendra Hughes from SoValTi launched the training last August along with training for the American Samoa Coordinated Community Response.
Dr. Jueta McCutchan, Clinical Psychologist provided instruction on the Neurobiology of Trauma and Sexual Assault and described the Impact of Sexual Assault in our community.
Dr. McCutchan urged providers and community volunteers to use a trauma-informed approach when working with victims and survivors.
Brown Girl Woke’s Doris Tulifau taught sessions on Campus Sexual Assault and Robert Toelupe, gave a session on understanding the Effects of Sexual Assault on Males.
Victim Advocates from the Department of Legal Affairs Farrah Sefo and Faith presented on common advocacy situations.
To wrap up the training, EPIC contracted with Vanessa Jackson, of Healing Circles, from Atlanta, Georgia to provide sessions on Recovery Education and Skills Training, Compassion Fatigue and Self Care.
Ms. Jackson has over 20 years of experience as a clinician, therapist, author and trainer working with minority populations and promoting the integration of traditional healing practices to help survivors through their journey to recovery.
The national curriculum was developed by the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center and was customized for our community by local trainers and professionals from the field.
The 17 participants work for ASCC, LBJ Human Resources Office, Catholic Social Services, Attorney General’s Office in addition to community-service and faith-based organizations.
EPIC presented each advocate with a toolkit of flyers, posters and information cards promoting Hotlines, Crisis Lines and numbers to call when someone is in crisis and needs help. The public education materials are available in both English and Samoan and are free for community distribution.
Those interested in the next training may contact Saipai Cassens or the EPIC office at 699-7923.
