At a New York State county hotline where I trained and worked for a semester in the 1980’s, crisis telecounselors developed a plan with the caller; were trained not to hang up until they knew what the caller was going to do next; and always invited the caller to call back if the plan didn’t work.
Hotline counselors never met the callers and often we didn’t give out our real names. But plans for dealing with emergencies—the need for legal assistance, the next meal, an exit from violence, or immediate medical help—did emerge from these anonymous conversations.
Caller egos were generally intact, although the crisis line was often the last resort. Counselors had access to computerized data banks of detailed, practical information to solve problems, and had practice in helping callers use it. The process often worked well.
Rape crisis centers, however, do see their clients in person. In rape situations, the entire person is at stake, because rape is not about sex. It is fundamentally about power and the desire to overpower.
According to the Erie County Rape Crisis Services:
Rape is “forced sexual intercourse without consent. Force can be physical: stated or implied threats that cause fear of immediate death or physical injury to self or others: or immediate fear of being kidnapped. It is a violent crime motivated by power and control not sexual gratification.”
• 1 in 3 women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.
• 1 in 5 men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.
• In 85% – 90% of all rapes, the perpetrator is an acquaintance of the victim.
• The average rape lasts 2 to 4 hours.
• 85% of rapes take place in the victim’s home.
• 90% of all rapes are alcohol or drug related.
• Only 10% of rapes are reported to police.
• 1/3 of all rape victims experience Rape Trauma Syndrome.
• Girls ages 16 through 19 are four times more likely than the general population to be victims of sexual assault.
Humiliation is part of the fallout for victims, and ego is at stake—the sense of losing sight of the person that you have always been. Especially if they fear that they will not be believed or that nothing constructive will take place that actually helps them, rape victims may hesitate to speak up.
What’s more, though, further humiliation can be the fallout of false statements by others—for instance, that rape victims will fear or not be able to stomach marriage or further sexual relations, for instance.
Narrative therapy, among other kinds of PTSD work, can help clients work through the experience and support the truer view that rape does not define them or their lives.
For more information about rape counseling, go to www.crisisservices.org, or call 716-834-3131 for immediate assistance in the Buffalo area. New York State also has a Domestic and Sexual Violence hotline: 1-800-942-6906 for English-speaking callers, and 1-800-942-6908 for Spanish-speaking callers.
Private counselors are also available for PTSD counseling; www.goodtherapy.com, among other websites, lets consumers search by zip code and specialty, and physicians can also offer referrals.
Contact Linda at writer14221@yahoo.com
Linda Chalmer Zemel teaches in the Communication Department at SUNY Buffalo State College. Her doctoral work in developmental psychology was done at the University of Rochester, and she completed a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology through Columbia State University.
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