Virtual Group Peer-Support Program
There are two streams of the peer support program.
Stream 1 features one-on-one peer support, where a participant is paired with a support worker.
Stream 2 is our group peer support, where our Group Supervisor leads 3-4 participants in discussing various topics.
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See below for recent program updates and our related peer support policies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who is eligible for the DSVSC's peer support program?
A: Adults (18+) who have experienced TFSV and live in Canada.
Q: What is peer support and how does it work?
A: Peer support involves a participant meeting with a peer support worker to share their lived experiences, cultivate solidarity and help clarify their next steps.
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Q: What is a peer support worker?
A: Peer Support Workers have similar lived experiences as the people that they serve and they may have a professional background in counselling, psychology, nursing or a related field. Support Workers offer shoulder-to-shoulder compassionate listening and emotional support to participants but they don't provide clinical support.
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Q: What are some topics that I can discuss during the sessions?
A: Unpacking your sexual trauma, developing healthy coping mechanisms, identifying your next steps, strategies for handling in-person harassment, and receive referrals to local counselling and legal aid, etc.
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Q: What are some privacy and safety measures that you take for the peer support participants?
A: We maintain sign-up pages and require that all participants register their email address and confirm their session attendance before they can receive entry into the Zoom meeting sessions. For additional verification purposes, we may request to call the participant or have a video call to discuss aspects of their intake form.
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Q: Will I be required to speak the entire session? And what should I do if I'm nervous?
A: We understand that speaking about sexual trauma can be difficult. If you feel nervous or are struggling to share during the first 1-2 group sessions, we will try to pivot to lighter topics.
Whereas, if you are signing up for your first one-on-one session, we may ask if you are open to using digital colouring pages or worksheets during the session. ​
Q: How are your peer support workers trained?
A: Our peer support workers are required to complete digital and live training sessions that cover recent case studies of TFSV in North America, engage in discussions on TFSV terminology, and reflect on their positionality to define their approaches to peer support.
Q: Is there a maximum number of one-on-one sessions that I can attend per week?
A: We currently have the capacity to offer our community 2 consecutive one-on-one sessions, per person, per week.
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Q: How can I support the DSVSC's peer support program?
A: Depending on your capacity, we would appreciate you referring others to our program or providing a financial donation to help support our program's longevity and remaining free to our community of survivors.
Information for Program Participants
Risks
- Discussing experiences with TFSV may bring up feelings of anxiousness, fear or sadness during the group sessions.
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Benefits
