"The person being disclosed to not only will have time processing before talking with the survivor, but they will have tools to better facilitate a comfortable conversation."
"I love the way the tool acts as a mediator between the involved parties. It takes so much pressure off of the survivor."
"There is probably nothing more powerful than this moment of initial disclosure and more ripe for change in shifting the conversation around sexual assault more broadly."
When a survivor is ready to disclose about their assault, they go onto our website and input the cell phone number of the person they will disclose to.
That person then receives a text message from our site that says someone they love wants to have a conversation with them about sexual assault and are provided with a link to a short, trauma-informed module on assault, how best to respond, and what to avoid so as not to re-trigger the survivor.
Once the module is completed, a text is generated back to the survivor, letting them know the person they want to disclose to is ready to listen.
Our tool takes the burden off of the survivor for having to educate their loved ones about assault during disclosure because we provide that training ahead of time. This allows the survivor to feel more empowered in the conversation, knowing their loved one already has a foundational understanding of assault and best practices for how to support them.
Presently in a disclosure, the family member/friend may be hearing about the assault for the first time as the survivor is in front of them. They feel their own shock, pain and denial, the pain and grief of the survivor, and need to respond in a sensitive and empathetic way.
These three elements of the disclosure happen in a short amount of time and can lead to negative reactions on the part of the family member/friend, even if they are well-meaning.
Our tool allows time for the family member/friend to integrate the information and process their own emotions, so that when they respond to the survivor they are better able to empower and support.
