at harvests more of a feeling of empowerment than being of service to someone in need. To be there when people need you, or to stand on the wall and guard over the rights of the vulnerable is a privileged position that calls for the stuff of heroes.
In Galway, we are fortunate to have many organisations who stand guard. Throughout the city and county, there are countless thousands who answer the call to give themselves for the betterment of their communities, to be the shoulder of support that is needed. In one sense, it is a continuation of the meitheal concept, whereby we gather and offer our collective skills so that people feel less alone during times of vulnerability.
One of the mainstays of this support is the Galway Rape Crisis Centre and in particular, its Psychological Support Team which provides a 24-hour, 365-day a year psychological support service for survivors of recent sexual assault and rape. The team of Psychological Supporter’s provide much needed advocacy and psychological support to survivors in a Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU ) in the aftermath of a sexual assault or rape.
To be a part of the team is a truly selfless act, but the role the members play in the lives of the survivors is immense as they begin to recover from the trauma of what has happened to them.
At the moment, there are 16 members of the team and this month, the call is going out for new recruits to provide this service — Maybe you are someone who has the attributes to join this team. Applications are being invited before November 22, with the intention of commencing training in the New Year.
Fulfilment
Sarahjane Grennan who manages the Psychological Support Team at Galway Rape Crisis centre is someone who knows the benefits that accrue from fulfilling this role, both for the assault survivor and the psychological supporter. She came into the GRCC as a psychological support team member, so is aware of the fulfilment that the role brings.
“It is hard to quantify just how important it is to have somebody there in the SATU to ask the survivor ’are you ok.’ Because everybody else in there is there to do an extremely important job. The garda are there to do theirs, the medical team to do theirs, but to have somebody say to the survivor ‘Hi, how are you,’ to the survivor is essential.
“When people ask me what are the attributes needed for this role, I feel that the fact that somebody would volunteer for this role would suggest that they have in them already a sense of community, empathy and understanding of what it means to support someone, this is what we are looking for in this role.
“They want to make a difference, even if it is only to the one person they meet in the SATU They feel they are paying back into the community.
“The commitment is for a minimum of two years, but we will keep you forever if you wish,” she says. “Quite a few have stayed with us because it is fulfilling volunteer role for the camaraderie for the support you get, but also for the work you do in a community, The feeling you get when you are sitting with someone in the SATU is so fulfilling. If that survivor was my aunt, uncle, sister, brother, daughter, or son in the SATU unit, I would want a person like us beside them offering them support.”
Commitment
“Applicants need to be over 25. They need to go to the website www.galwayrcc.ie you find the volunteer information under the heading Get Involved or Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. They are interviewed by myself and a colleague. If they are accepted onto the training, then we start the Garda Vetting. They also avail of their own therapy. Ten sessions of therapy are to work alongside their twelve weeks of training.
“We require this to ensure they are taking care of themselves, that selfcare is so important; that they have the support that is really needed.
“Training consists of 60 hours over three months. Saturdays and Sundays from 9-3 every second week. It keeps the group together and in contact. There is great value in the training but there is more value in the shared experiences that people bring to the training.
What is the time commitment if accepted onto the team?
“Anyone who is on the roster will do shifts at three different times of each month. If you are on call, you will get about an hour’s notice to say there is a case coming into the SATU. You get to the unit and are met by the medical team, and then you get to meet the survivor. They might be accompanied by a supporter, a relative or a friend. You might also meet the gardai if they have reported it first, but they don’t have to report it first as SATU also provides services for people who do not wish to report the incident to the Gardaí.
“Survivors can go to the SATU unit on self-referral, they just need to ring the number. It is important to tell people that they don’t have to go to the Garda at that stage. They can go to the unit and be met by the medical team and the psychological support team. They get the information they need to go further.”
Ms Grennan says that the role of the psychological support team is crucial in creating a cushion of support for the survivor.
"Coming in the door of a rape crisis centre is extremely traumatic in itself. It can be very difficult, and it takes a lot of time to take that step, so they might come to the door a couple of times and not make it in. But when they do make it in, they are here for support, and we provide that to them.”
She adds that the training needed to deal with each situation is comprehensive.
“The training is invaluable. Once you get your application form in, there is an interview process. Then there is the training, and it is in-depth. You are given all the tools to be able to speak to someone in that situation.
“You also look at your own beliefs and biases, because to know them is very important in this role."
She acknowledges that being on the roster is initially nerve-wracking because the team want to be able to provide the best support for the survivor but added that the training prepares the team for that.
“When you get the call and you don’t know what is ahead of you, it is anxiety inducing, but if you speak to any member of the team, they acknowledge that anxiety has to be experienced. Once you walk in and meet the team, the anxiety eases, but when you meet the survivor, it is as if there is nothing else more important than this other person.”
Debriefing
“A debriefing service is also provided to each member of the Psychological Support Team after each callout. When you have been on a call out, you a get a text and a de-briefer gets a text. Alongside everyone on a roster is the number of another person you can call. This de-briefer is also a therapist.
“So when you finish your callout in the SATU, you text the de-briefer and you arrange to speak to them within a couple of hours, so you are not carrying any trauma yourself. That is vital to the wellbeing of the team.
“We all experience the same when were go to the unit. There is sadness, anger, and upset but with the debriefer, we have a place where we can contain that. The people who volunteer to debrief give up their time so that a Psychological Supporter can have this support,” she added.
Being a member of the Psychological Support Team at the Galway Rape Crisis Centre is the stuff of heroes. It is a task that does not get the headlines it deserves, but every day, it is playing a role in the healing of our community. Do you have what it takes to join that team? If you have read this far, and you have a penchant for doing the right thing, then you probably do. Contact the GRCC and Sarahjane Grennan for more details on www.galwayrcc.ie or check their pages on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.
