Regina Sexual Assault Centre opens new 'trauma informed' location
CTV
The Regina and Sexual Assault Centre (RSAC) has recently moved locations and its new space was designed with its purpose in mind.
The Regina and Area Sexual Assault Centre (RSAC) has recently moved locations and its new space was designed with its purpose in mind.
“It’s never the mistake of the victim. So in a way when we were hidden, it’s as if we were saying 'Yes, something we did that is wrong … but no,” said Mary Zwane, a counsellor at the centre.
Those who come through the doors of the new location are often in the midst of an incredibly difficult time. These facts were taken into account with the new Regina and Area Sexual Assault Centre.
Details such as frosted windows, divided hallways, and even a self serve coffee machine as opposed to coffee offered by a staff member were intentionally planned to make the organization’s new location as safe as possible according to RSAC Executive Director, Lisa Miller.
“We want the space to be what we refer to as ‘trauma informed,’” she told CTV News. “We wanna make sure that it’s a space where we’re careful of the power dynamics between staff and clients. We want them to feel like they are here and we are walking alongside them that we’re not in a different position from them.”
The centre is intended to be a safe space for those who have experienced sexual assault to receive the proper physical and psychological care.
According to Miller, the intentional trauma informed design of the space helps remove the initial barrier of seeking help so that victims are able to begin healing.
