Objetivos y retos estratégicos

Instructions: A future support group facilitator should pair up with another person. The partner should be given a brief description of a client role to play. The trainee will play the facilitator role, practicing screening the client. Each role play scenario should last about eight to ten minutes, and a trained facilitator should observe the role play in order to provide feedback on strengths and areas for improvement at the end of the role play. After acting out the scenario, the trainee and their partner should discuss how the role play went and receive feedback from the observer.

Client Role: You identify as a female survivor of rape.

• You are 25 years old. • You identify as a lesbian.

• You experienced the assault at a party when you were sixteen.

• You note that you were drinking at the party, and the perpetrator was a male

friend.

• At the time, you did not tell anyone about the assault except one friend who told you that “you shouldn’t have been at the party any way.” After that experience,

you kept the assault to yourself.

• You have never been in therapy, though you are open to the idea of getting

therapy referrals.

• Immediately following the assault, you felt on edge and lost motivation to be

around others. You have struggled off and on with feeling anxious, especially in social situations.

• You do not have a history of suicidal thoughts or attempts.

• You have found that the experience keeps resurfacing, especially when you are finding yourself attracted to a romantic partner.

• You’re tired of feeling alone in your experience of assault and would like to

connect with others who have had similar experiences.

• To de-stress, you like to exercise, be with small groups of friends, and read.

3. Have someone observe and give feedback. When conducting role plays, it can be helpful to have an experienced facilitator sitting and watching the interaction, so

they can provide constructive feedback about the interaction – both strengths and

areas for growth.

Below you will find some example role play scenarios that you could use or change to meet

your agency’s needs.

Client Role: You identify as a male survivor of childhood sexual abuse.

• You are 40 years old and have told only your wife and parents about your

experiences of sexual abuse. You told your wife after dating for several years, but you have not talked in depth about the experiences in an ongoing way.

• When you told your parents about the abuse as a child, they told you not to say

anything else about it. The perpetrator, a family friend, was still allowed to interact with you and your sisters.

• You have recently begun seeing an individual therapist to talk about the abuse. • You are concerned about your marriage and how your experiences with abuse may

affect your ability to be a good father to your three children.

• Since you first became sexually active, you’ve had trouble with sexual intimacy. • You feel alone and unable to talk to friends or family about the abuse.

• You have been struggling recently with feeling very distracted, and you have noticed over the years that certain situations trigger you to have flashbacks of the

abuse. You have been feeling very down and often isolate yourself at home.

• You have trouble finding ways to de-stress, though you do like to watch television. • You would like to be able to talk to other people who were sexually abused

as children.

• Sometimes you like to write in a journal about your experiences, though you

imagine talking would be very helpful.

• You have a lot of questions about confidentiality and what to expect from group

sessions because you’re concerned that you will see someone you know. You also have no experience with support groups, so you need an overview of what a support group is.

Client Role: You are the spouse of a childhood sexual abuse survivor.

• Your wife is successful in her career. She was molested by her mother between

the ages of eight and twelve.

• She has been in therapy and support groups in the past and has worked through

the trauma a great deal.

• Now that your daughter is eight, your partner is beginning to feel very protective

of her, and you feel she is being overly protective at times. She has realized that some of her abuse issues are coming up again. You are unsure of how to react or support her, and you are worried about her being too protective of your

daughter.

• You want to help your partner but also need support on your own.

• You love your spouse and your daughter and feel that a support group might help

you in a similar way to how they have helped her in the past.

• You would like to find some strategies for supporting your wife, your daughter, and

yourself as your family goes through this.

• You have been diagnosed as suffering from depression, and though you read and enjoy fishing trips as ways to de-stress, you often feel you do not have the time

to do these things.

• You are excited about the potential of a support group and most of your questions

are logistical in nature.