Crisis help for victims of sexual violence at the Tukinainen Rape Crisis Centre, Finland

1. Crisis help for victims of sexual violence at the Tukinainen Rape Crisis Centre, Finland Heli Heinjoki Crisis- and traumatherapist, Development Manager for CrisisWork RapeCrisis Centre Tukinainen, Helsinki, Finland 8.5.2014 Tallinn

2. Tukinainen Rape Crisis Centre • Founded in Helsinki in 1993; originally a project of the Feminist Association Unioni • Tukinainen ry 2004 • Local branch in Jyväskylä 2006 • Funded by the Finnish Slot Machine Association • Serves clients everywhere in Finland • Support association for victims of sexual crime • Complements the services of the social and health care system • Professional organization

3. Our work • Free and confidential service for clients • Therapeutic crisis work and legal assistance • Training, consultation and coordination for professionals from different fields • Impact on society as a whole

4. Work among victims • Crisis telephone helpline (6 hours5days per week) • Legal advice (four days a week, 4 h per day) • www.nettitukinainen.fi • Crisis meetings • Peer support groups • Meetings with lawyers • Lawyer accompanying victims during the legal process

5. People • Four crisis workers (two full-time, two part-time) • Development Manager for Crisis Work • Eight crisis workers on the helpline during weekends • One group leader • Development Manager for Legal Work • Twolawyers on the legal advice helpline • Financial and Administration Manager, Communications Manager

6. Client criteria • Priority on victims who are not receiving other help simultaneously • Priority on clients who have experienced acute violence • Rape victims • Victims of harassment • People over 16 years of age • If a client is already receiving care elsewhere, we offer consultation to the helping party!

7. From victim to client • First contact usually by phone or over the Internet • Advice on the phone or online AND/OR by appointment with a crisis worker • Within two weeks of the first contact • Crisis worker selected for each case by the crisis team

8. Client process in crisis work Goals • Crisis help - sufficient work on the effects and symptoms of the experience of violence; searching for ways to cope with the experience • Legal advice • How to report a crime • Making known the victim’s right to a free trial and various kinds of support during the legal process 3. Whenever necessary, the client should be advised to utilize other forms of help available (e.g. psychotherapy, therapy groups).

9. Our crisis work process • 2-3 evaluation meetings • About 15 individual meetings • Telephone meetings (if appropriate and convenient) • Work based on a care agreement • If needed, statements for the trial • Our workers as witnesses in court • Direction to other services (psychiatric polyclinic, psychotherapy) and consultation for the helping organizations

10. Legal advice • Every client is given basic information about all relevant rights that victims have during the legal process. • The client should meet a lawyer at least once during the crisis work process (either alone or together with a crisis worker). • Our lawyer also has the opportunity to assist the client during the legal process.

11. Groups at Tukinainen • Open group • Every other week, 1.5 hours, structured, stabilizing, centered on symptom recognition, two supervisors • Closed groups • Selection based on interviews, thematic focus(cognitive processing therapy (CPT), art therapy, bodily movements, psychodrama, photo therapy) • Weekend groups - stabilizing or psychodrama

12. Important themes in crisis work • Shame and guilt • Post-traumatic stress disorder • Sense of inferiority, lack of self-esteem • Derealization (”Has this really happened to me?”) • Difficulties in human relations • Reduced ability to experience intimacy • Sexual problems • Difficulties at work and while studying • Dissociative disorders – not only as a symptom, but something that affects one’s whole personality (complex dissociative disorder)

13. Important themes in crisis work • There are no legitimate motivations for sexual violence, and therefore the victim is always innocent! • It is possible to recover from an experience of sexual violence. • Recovering from a traumatic experience always takes time and energy. • It is important to treat oneself well during the recovery process. • Everyone should have the courage to ask for help as well as the right to receive it! • The crisis worker’s support is of key importance, and therefore truly professional workers should be available for the victims.

14. Statistics • About 2000 callseachyearalltogether • 300 new cases on the crisis helpline during 2013 - 300 new cases on the legal helpline • 140 individual clients in 2013in crisisservices • About 120 participants in groups • About 1.500 visitors on websiteeverymonth • Nettitukinainen.fi 400 messages 2013

15. THANK YOU! Heli Heinjoki Special Crisis and Trauma Psychotherapist Development Manager for Crisis Work Tukinainen Rape Crisis Centre heli.heinjoki@tukinainen.fi