The SACE Clinical Services Department includes our Client Care, Adult Counselling, Child and Youth Counselling, Group Counselling, and Police and Court Support programs.
The clinical work provided by SACE is often quantified by the number of clients accessing our services, the number of counselling sessions offered or attended, or the number of people waiting for support. While these numbers paint a picture of incredible need in our community, they do not represent the heart of the work done by the clinical services team, or the impact it has on the people we serve. The heart of this work is not quantifiable, but is quickly observed when working at SACE. It is something that begins the moment a client or caregiver acknowledges the need for help and chooses to visit our website or look into our services. These initial steps culminate in a moment of incredible vulnerability when a person chooses to reach out. In these moments, callers and future clients are met with compassion, warmth, and grace, whether by volunteers on our Support and Information Line, or by the team at reception. They take time to listen, to acknowledge the client’s courage, and to explain the process for accessing services. These conversations can be tough; it is impossible not to get a sense of how overwhelmed some people are at the time of that first call.
“Since attending counselling, the emotional impact of the sexual assault has changed drastically. At the beginning, I truly believed it was my fault and I had a lot of shame and guilt. Through counselling, I’ve learnt that it was not my fault and that I do have the power to heal from this. I think i’ve come a long way through my healing journey and I know this by the way I can verbalize my assault to others and still be okay. Once I was apart of SACE, I didn’t have to face anything alone. SACE supported me through so many obstacles, court and the healing journey.”
No staff member enters SACE thinking that the work they will do here will be easy. They enter because it is important, and because they believe that all people have a right to be heard, believed, and supported. The work done at SACE is special and powerful, because the heart of our work – the work that truly moves us toward a society free of sexual violence – often lies outside of the numbers. From the bottom of our hearts, we say thank you to the SACE clinical services team.
“I am not as scared of men anymore. I am sleeping and I do not cry as much. My anxiety is considerably less since court was cancelled. My self-confidence and self-esteem are both higher. I feel like I’m halfway on my healing journey, no longer at the beginning. I’m starting to find more joy in life, nature, and everything around me. I am starting to love my life again.”
“Not waking up screaming every night, not repulsed when partner tries to touch me or look at me with affection. Feel like I am becoming better – feel like I am getting better. I know that I will never be fully “healed”, or at least not in the near future. It’s a process that takes time and a lot of things, but I don’t want to kill myself everyday anymore. Flashbacks used to be so bad would lay for days in bed – not anymore.”
Your donations help SACE offer no-fee services and support to thousands of individuals affected by sexual violence in Edmonton every year.