In the sphere of Hollywood, the corporate world and Washington, victims of sexual assault are speaking out - and being listened to - for the first time in history. The powerful tremors of the #MeToo and TimesUp movements have shifted the public’s attention towards the pervasive issue of sexual assault that has gone largely unnoticed in society- until now.
While women like Uma Thurman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Aly Raisman have the platform and power to voice accusations and hold their perpetrators accountable, what about the girls that don’t have the fame and privilege of the spotlight? These are the girls that could be walking the halls at this school.
What are the steps that these girls should take in the aftermath of a sexual assault incident?
According to the Algonquin handbook, students should report an incident, verbally or in writing, to a trusted staff member right away.
“If you have been made to feel uncomfortable and/or unsafe by a student, faculty member, or administrator, you should notify [verbally or in writing] any staff member as soon as possible, who will then refer the complaint to the appropriate administrators,” the handbook states.
According to Adjustment Counselor Deb Guterman, the school strives to set the stage for students to approach their teachers because of a formed trust.
“We try really hard - faculty, counseling staff, adminstrators - to focus on building connections with students,” Guterman said. “We’ve done a lot of work and will continue to do a lot of work behind the scenes.”
To build these relationships, principal Dr. Sara Pragulski Walsh emphasizes the importance of building connections.
“Regarding creating a situation or environment where our students feel comfortable to go to somebody, all faculty just went through a two-day professional development on building connections with students,” Walsh said. “How do you build relationships with them? How do you forge that bridge to have that trust factor? The whole goal is to put a strong adult that you trust in their path all day long so they don’t have to go too far to say ‘I have a problem. I need help.’”
Guterman said that victims should be encouraged to share an incident with parents, but they may not be comfortable doing that as the first step.
“Sometimes the school might be the first place that kids feel comfortable,” Guterman said. “We would help to brainstorm the next steps. The next steps vary; we want victims to have some control over what those next steps are. So we don’t necessarily tell people what they have to do, but we give them options in terms of what they could do.”
Some victims need more time to come out and seek support, according to Guterman.
“Sometimes, it’s a matter of building trust and meeting people where they’re at,” Guterman said. “Sometimes, it does take time to figure out that they do want to talk about this some more… Sometimes, it takes a while for any type of counseling to work. People have to be somewhat open to it. They can’t feel coerced to talking about something that’s so difficult and traumatizing for them.
Although every individual’s case varies, Guterman emphasizes how the school will follow up each case and strongly urge the victim to get support outside of school, such as counseling. The school has previously worked with therapists that meet with students and agencies that deal with victim advocacy, according to Guterman.
There is no generalized program to support students who have been sexually saulted, according to Walsh. Rather, each individualized support is “tailored” and “very intentional and specific” because each students’ needs are different.
“We work very closely with the family,” Walsh said. “We pull in outside counseling supports. Should the family request it, we pull in police supports. That’s up to the family and the victim. We pull in adjustment counselor supports and we create a network to get them whatever they need.”
Guterman believes in the importance of listening to victims in this moment, when many are gathering the courage to speak up.
“With what’s going on currently, with all of the disclosures that are happening on many levels through the media, that may bring up more things personally for people that they may have tucked away or repressed,” Guterman said. “I think the general political climate right now is bringing up this stuff for people so we need to be aware of that and do our best to make those connections with kids so they feel comfortable coming forward.”
While women like Uma Thurman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Aly Raisman have the platform and power to voice accusations and hold their perpetrators accountable, what about the girls that don’t have the fame and privilege of the spotlight? These are the girls that could be walking the halls at this school.
What are the steps that these girls should take in the aftermath of a sexual assault incident?
According to the Algonquin handbook, students should report an incident, verbally or in writing, to a trusted staff member right away.
“If you have been made to feel uncomfortable and/or unsafe by a student, faculty member, or administrator, you should notify [verbally or in writing] any staff member as soon as possible, who will then refer the complaint to the appropriate administrators,” the handbook states.
According to Adjustment Counselor Deb Guterman, the school strives to set the stage for students to approach their teachers because of a formed trust.
“We try really hard - faculty, counseling staff, adminstrators - to focus on building connections with students,” Guterman said. “We’ve done a lot of work and will continue to do a lot of work behind the scenes.”
To build these relationships, principal Dr. Sara Pragulski Walsh emphasizes the importance of building connections.
“Regarding creating a situation or environment where our students feel comfortable to go to somebody, all faculty just went through a two-day professional development on building connections with students,” Walsh said. “How do you build relationships with them? How do you forge that bridge to have that trust factor? The whole goal is to put a strong adult that you trust in their path all day long so they don’t have to go too far to say ‘I have a problem. I need help.’”
Guterman said that victims should be encouraged to share an incident with parents, but they may not be comfortable doing that as the first step.
“Sometimes the school might be the first place that kids feel comfortable,” Guterman said. “We would help to brainstorm the next steps. The next steps vary; we want victims to have some control over what those next steps are. So we don’t necessarily tell people what they have to do, but we give them options in terms of what they could do.”
Some victims need more time to come out and seek support, according to Guterman.
“Sometimes, it’s a matter of building trust and meeting people where they’re at,” Guterman said. “Sometimes, it does take time to figure out that they do want to talk about this some more… Sometimes, it takes a while for any type of counseling to work. People have to be somewhat open to it. They can’t feel coerced to talking about something that’s so difficult and traumatizing for them.
Although every individual’s case varies, Guterman emphasizes how the school will follow up each case and strongly urge the victim to get support outside of school, such as counseling. The school has previously worked with therapists that meet with students and agencies that deal with victim advocacy, according to Guterman.
There is no generalized program to support students who have been sexually saulted, according to Walsh. Rather, each individualized support is “tailored” and “very intentional and specific” because each students’ needs are different.
“We work very closely with the family,” Walsh said. “We pull in outside counseling supports. Should the family request it, we pull in police supports. That’s up to the family and the victim. We pull in adjustment counselor supports and we create a network to get them whatever they need.”
Guterman believes in the importance of listening to victims in this moment, when many are gathering the courage to speak up.
“With what’s going on currently, with all of the disclosures that are happening on many levels through the media, that may bring up more things personally for people that they may have tucked away or repressed,” Guterman said. “I think the general political climate right now is bringing up this stuff for people so we need to be aware of that and do our best to make those connections with kids so they feel comfortable coming forward.”