Our training is currently available to sexual assault advocates affiliated with rape crisis centers approved by the Utah Office for Victims of Crime (UOVC), as well as system advocates from law enforcement agencies, county offices, military, universities, and culturally specific organizations approved by UOVC. The expertise of sexual assault advocates is crucial for protecting client confidentiality. Utah's Confidential Communications Act mandates forty hours of sexual assault-specific advocacy training for advocates. Privileged conversations with victims require completion of this training and affiliation with a UOVC-approved Rape Crisis Center. System-based advocates at law enforcement agencies and county offices also need this training, with confidentiality governed by agency policies.

Our training was carefully developed with input from all sexual violence advocates and programs across the state. More specifically, this course offers the following benefits:

• Meets the requirements set forth in the Utah Confidential Communications Act and requirements set forth by Utah's funding agencies. 
• Gives attendees information and tools to understand the role of sexual violence advocates.
• Supports attendees in recognizing and combating bias - both explicit and implicit.
• Empowers attendees to maintain the dignity of victims.
• Support attendees in encouraging victims' self-advocacy and personal decision-making throughout the response processes.
• Situates each participant within their role as an advocate and reinforces their responsibility to the agency, its clients, and to victims.
• Certifies volunteers and sexual assault advocates as rape crisis counselors - allowing for privileged, confidential communications with clients. 

We are committed to training excellence, and we are confident that this collaborative training solution will be a valuable enhancement to your current volunteer and staff training program.

As a professional training and development organization, we combine instructional expertise with curriculum development skills and an extensive history of advocacy and direct service experience.

Basic Structure

Our Sexual Assault Counselor Training is the result of decades of feedback from professionals who work with sexual violence survivors and folks who have perpetrated throughout the state. The curriculum is twenty-four hours of statewide core topics presented by our staff and sixteen hours of community-specific topics facilitated in accordance with the needs of the local community. This overall course design is meant to meet the needs of each area, population, and specific community dynamics. We work with local communities to determine the course content of the 16 hours of community-specific content and any continuing education or professional development topics. 

Course Overview

The Sexual Assault Counselor Training course is designed to meet the training needs of individuals who respond to a victim of sexual violence. The course is meant to meet the needs of various volunteers and advocates. However, this course is not designed to provide the intricacies of the investigation, prosecution, evidence collection, or case management. This course is particularly helpful to individuals who provide many different types of services to victims of sexual violence, seeking skill-based knowledge and tools for improved response and intervention.

If you have specific questions about the sexual assault counselor training, please contact our Program Specialist, Lisa Paniagua at [email protected] or (801) 746-0404 Ext. 707 (Yo hablo español) .