Individuals with diverse backgrounds, expertise and experience in victim services and mental health served as an advisory panel and assisted the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape with the development of this curriculum. They also saw this project as an opportunity to develop a collaborative systems approach to victim services between mental health and victim services providers. The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape wishes to thank the advisory panel members for their time and expertise in the development of the curriculum outline. Trained teams, representative of victim services and mental health professionals, will be sought. Trainees or participants will be selected with the advice and input of local community leaders.
Trainees are to be representative of the victim services and mental health fields.
Trainees are to be motivated individuals who are committed to change and willing to promote change in their respective communities. Funding and resources should be available to address the recommendations as stated. A mental health professional who has not received any training on the unique emotional and psychological issues of trauma may not be able to appropriately respond to a crime victim or even make a suitable referral. For example, to someone not trained in victimization issues, a burglary might be seen as a minor loss of possessions, something to be dealt with quickly by the police and insurance company, with perhaps the added security of new locks. However, to burglary victims, there has been a violation of an extension of themselves.