DIRECT SERVICES

1. 24-hour hotline is staffed after office hours by trained volunteers who provide crisis intervention counseling. Call 622-4300 to speak to a counselor.

2. 24-hour companion services are provided by trained volunteers. The Response worker will meet sexual assault survivor at the hospital emergency room or/and the police station to offer information and support. Call 622-4300 for a companion. It will take 30-50 minutes for the worker to arrive, depending upon where she is in relation to the hospital or police station (and traffic conditions). If we are called by a nurse, police officer, friend or relative, we will ask if client wants us to be present. Our philosophy is to empower the survivor in every way possible and that means giving control back to her/him.

3. Office counseling is available by appointment for survivors of sexual assault and their significant others (spouses, parents, children, partners, friends, etc.). This service is crisis intervention counseling focusing on issues surrounding recovery from sexual assault. When other counseling or therapy is appropriate or other services are needed we will make referrals consistent with client's resources.

4. Outreach visits are arranged when clients are unable to come to our offices in the YWCA Building in downtown Norfolk at 253 W. Freemason Street. This might mean that a client is a pupil in school, or a resident in a substance abuse treatment program. We can often arrange to meet a client in a meeting place to be arranged.
   We have an outreach program in Suffolk that enables us to have an outreach worker meet clients from the Western Tidewater area at the Suffolk Christian Church at 216 Main Street. To arrange an appointment call 623-2115.

5. Response offers support groups for survivors of sexual assault and abuse, and to provide secondary prevention,   namely techniques and strategies to reduce group members' risks of being sexually victimized again. Survivors of rape, sexual assault, child sexual abuse and molestation attend 12 session groups. Confidential. No fee. Groups for adults usually begin in January, March and October of each year and are usually held from 6:30 - 8:30 pm. Call 623-2115 for information and to register.

6. Other Services:
   • Community referrals for survivors and significant others to mental health, medical, legal, law enforcement, victim-witness services.

   • Third Party Reports to police with survivor's permission.

   • Expert witness testimony on rape crisis counseling.

   • Consultation to service providers on cases and educational program development.