Sexual Assault Counselling

Sexual Assault Counselling (SAC) provides free specialized counselling for women, men, youth and children who have been victims of sexual assault and/or sexual abuse. The program is also available to those who offer support to victims of sexual abuse.

SAC also delivers presentations to enhance community awareness, education and prevention of sexual assault.

Sexual assault is forced participation in any type of sexual activity. It can range from unwanted kissing or touching to forced sexual intercourse. Sexual assault is an act of power and control. It is a crime and the offender is responsible for the behaviour.

Sexual assault can happen to individuals regardless of their gender, age, race, religion, sexual orientation, financial status or knowledge of sexual abuse. Sexual assault impacts family members and friends, as well as our community.

Everyone reacts differently after an event of sexual assault. Some individuals experience shock, denial, fear, anger, depression, shame, and self blame. All these reactions are normal.

Counselling and therapy may help to lessen these effects and help the survivor realize that the sexual assault is not their fault. Healing can be a challenging process. It is possible to transform from victim to survivor.

SAC does more than counsel victims of sexual assault. The program involves many other aspects including:

Counselling for the family and their supportive friends of sexual assault victims;
Providing education about sexual assault;
Providing prevention education presentations to the community to enhance awareness of sexual assault;
Emphasizing that only Yes means Yes;
Creating an understanding of what sexual violence is;
The issues of consent;
Identifying dating violence;
Identifying sexual harassment;
Recognizing sexual violence within marriage.

For more information

Email: c.mcarthur@signyorkton.ca

Telephone: 306-783-9428

Fax: 306-783-9429

Our office is located at SIGN on Broadway, 345 Broadway Street West, Yorkton SK.

Our brochure

Presentations to community groups

The Sexual Assault Outreach Program believes that education and awareness in our community is such an important factor in preventing sexual violence. The safety of our children, families, and community are the driving factor for the Outreach Program.

Below is a PDF file with a list of presentations available to you and our community. Most of these presentations can be adapted to your organization, client or group's unique needs and can be presented in a multitude of diverse settings, both large and small.

Our goal is to raise awareness, find a safe environment to have conversations, and make our community a healthy place for our children, students, and families.

Our presentation list is still growing so please feel free to ask about any topics. We will updated the list as new presentations are developed. If you have any questions or would like to book a presentation please contact Nicole Prince, Sexual Assault Program Facilitator/Outreach Community Educator, at the numbers or email address at the bottom of the document.

Training for First Responders to Sexual Assault

The SIGN sexual assault counselling program is offering a two-day intensive course this fall called the First Responders to Sexual Assault Training.

The course content was developed by the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS), and SIGN Sexual Assault Counselling has two accredited facilitators who can offer this training in our community and surrounding areas.

The First Responder to Sexual Assault model draws from the idea of first aid. The job of the first responder to sexual assault is not to know the answers, or to counsel the victim, but rather to provide information to decide on their own plan with help from professionals (a counselor, a doctor, or the police).

Just as civilians are trained to handle emergency medical situations, we can train people how to respond to a disclosure of sexual assault so that the victim feels believed and supported.

Individuals who complete the First Responder to Sexual Assault Training will leave with the necessary background knowledge of sexual violence in various forms (Childhood sexual abuse, barriers to disclosure, communication techniques and community referrals) so that they are prepared to connect with the victim in the very short term and help determine how they want to move forward.

To register:

For information about this course contact:
Corrine McArthur, 306-783-9428
Nicole Prince, 306-783-9428 / 306-620-5015

Training sessions held

Training for first responders to sexual assault was held the first week in August at SIGN on Broadway. The training is a partnership of SIGN Sexual Assault Counselling and the Yorkton Tribal Council Addictions and Mental Health program, and is funded by the Painted Hand CDC.

Participants (photo below) were from four surrounding First Nations: Key, Cote, Keeseekoose and Kahkewistahaw. Those attending were addiction workers, health and wellness staff, youth workers, Victim Services personnel and first responders.

This was the second training session. The first was held in June, with participants from the Kahkewistahaw, Sakimay, Cote, Key, Keeseekoose and Ocean Man First Nations.

Other training sessions will be held in October and in the New year. For more information, contact the SIGN program staff listed above.