Sexual Assault Advocate Training Manual - Texas Association ...

SEXUAL ASSAULT ADVOCATE TRAINING MANUAL
• The advocate begins to support a course of action he/she believes is in the
survivor’s best interest, rather than allowing the survivor to make his/her own
choices.
Just as it is a principle of victim advocacy that the perpetrator is always responsible for the
assault and the survivor is never responsible for being raped, it is a principle that the
advocate is always responsible for maintaining appropriate advocate/survivor boundaries.
The client is not responsible for monitoring the relationship to determine when boundaries
are being crossed.
BASIC ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
In sexual assault work, another principle is that survivors are entitled to knowledgeable assistance,
privacy, and respect. Every survivor has the right to self-determination, which means
being allowed to make one’s own choices without criticism, opposition or judgment. This
does not mean the advocate validates every choice a survivor makes, but the advocate consistently
supports the survivor’s right to make her own choices. The advocate can serve the
survivor best by objectively encouraging the survivor to explore all the potential consequences
of any decision, both positive and negative.
Fairness and flexibility are hallmarks of ethical and effective advocacy. Fairness includes
providing the same excellent service to all survivors, regardless of age, ethnicity, sexual
orientation or lifestyle. It means apprising the survivor of all the options available, rather
than just those the advocate favors. Flexibility calls for the advocate to recognize when a
particular approach is not helpful to a survivor and to be willing and able to modify it as
needed.
An ethical advocate will always honor the survivor’s right to informed consent, which means
the advocate has the duty and responsibility to provide appropriate, timely and accurate
information the client needs to make informed choices and decisions.
Survivors seeking services have the right to be informed about:
• The advocate’s qualifications training, credentials and experience.
• The agency’s philosophy of counseling. For example, if the agency is affiliated with
a specific religious denomination that has prohibitions against certain behaviors or
lifestyles, the survivor should be informed of this, before delivery of services.
• Confidentiality policy, including the limits and exceptions.
• The nature and limits of the counseling relationship
• Anticipated duration of counseling including length and frequency of sessions. If
the agency must limit services to a maximum of three or six months, the survivor
should be informed of this in advance.
• The survivor’s recourse if dissatisfied with the services provided.
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