Editor's Note: This article is part of a special report on sexual assault in Cape Breton, N.S.
SYDNEY, N.S. - Where do you go for help after you’ve been sexually assaulted?
What if you’re not ready to call police but you still want a medical examination in case the perpetrator left DNA evidence on you and you might want to report it later?
Or you just want someone to speak with you, help you through the early or later stages of trauma recovery?
Two organizations in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality specialize in the area of sexual violence trauma recovery — the Cape Breton Transition House and the SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners) program which operates out of the Every Woman's Centre.
Both offer services to everyone, cis (biological), trans and others. Men accessing services from transition house are seen off site, at a safe, agreed upon location.
For the SANE staff, who are trauma-informed, care-certified nurses, they usually see clients at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital and work with people within five days after the assault. These nurses often do the medical exams, make sure victims know the options available to them and offer follow up calls, with consent.
- Looking for help in Cape Breton?
- Victims of sexual assault can call -
- SANE: 1-844-858-8036
- Cape Breton Transition House: 902-539-2945
- *Both open 24 hours a day, seven days a week
This is the team that usually performs the forensic examinations (commonly called rape kits) at the hospital, to be used for police investigations and can be saved for six months if victims need time to think. SANE is available to people ages 13 and up and program co-ordinator Rachel Doucette stressed that every choice along the way is respected as the victim's to make.
“We hope to put people on the path of recovery (immediately) … A big message from our program is we’re here for the community, we’re here for everybody,” said Doucette who is retired from the military and has been with the SANE program, which officially launched in Sydney in September of 2018, for three years.
“We will see anybody who is brave enough to come and see us.”
A victim can self-report by calling the SANE crisis line’s local number at 1-844-858-8036, where trained staff are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If a victim reports the crime to police or goes to hospital, SANE staff are often called.
Doucette said even if the victim doesn’t want the forensic exam, they can do a different physical exam to help with physical injuries, prescribe any medications that might be needed post assault and help victims connect with community supports to help with the later stages of their healing journey.
If a victim chooses to go down the legal route, SANE staff can also serve as expert witnesses. And they also help people past the five day's after mark to find other resources out there for them — like Cape Breton Transition House.
Services at Cape Breton Transition house include supporting people through legal proceedings, counselling and trauma therapy.
“We’re providing service to help victims navigate the (legal and medical) system,” said clinical manager Carrie Evely, "to walk along beside them, providing any supports, like counselling if needed.”
- Looking for help off island?
- Some resources include -
- SANE (24 hour crisis line): 1-833-577-SANE (7263)
- Man Talk (Halifax): 902-832-1593
- New Start (Halifax): 902-423-4675
- Avalon Sexual He:alth Centre: 902-422-4240
- Antigonish Women's Centre: 902-863-6221
- *New Start and Men Talk are for male victims only
Evely said two therapeutic approaches commonly used for trauma recovery are mindfulness and EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing).
Mindfulness is being aware of your surroundings — focusing on sounds and not letting thoughts overrun the mind. Generally found in meditation practices, people can also use this technique when not meditating.
EMDR is a psychotherapy technique. Relatively new, some clinicians in Cape Breton like Evely are trained in it and she uses it Evely uses it with her patients.
“It is working with eye movement in different ways, as the person talks about the traumatic event,” she explained. “It helps the person to reprocess the negative cognitions and turn them into more positive cognitions.”
The goal of both techniques, and others for people recovering from trauma, is to get them “out of their heads” and focused on the present, said Evely.
People can access services at Cape Breton Transition House by calling their crisis line number at 902-539-2945. Like the SANE crisis line, staff are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And both said they are available to anyone who is "brave enough to reach out" — regardless of how long ago they were sexually assaulted.
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