What We Do
This section of our 2025-2026 Annual Impact Report offers a snapshot of what we do, from our wide range of programs and services, to outreach, consultation, and community collaborations.
People We Served Across All Areas of SACE
While the impact of community events and outreach work can’t always be captured in terms of the number of people we reached or supported, this chart illustrates the number of people we served in the 2025-2026 year, and the ways we supported the Edmonton community across our range of services.
*You can hover over the end of each bar or over the audiences at the bottom of this graph to get the specific numbers for each audience, including those too low to display in the bar graph.
Supporting Communities Across Alberta
SACE delivers online and in-person education and support services for people in the Edmonton and surrounding region, and across Alberta.
Some of the communities we serve each year: Edmonton, Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Alexis Nakota Sioux First Nation, Banff, Barrhead, Beaumont, Bon Accord, Camrose, Devon, Edson, Enoch Cree Nation, Evansburg, Fort Saskatchewan, Garrison Military Base, Hinton, Lac la Biche, Leduc, Morinville, Parkland County, Pigeon Lake, Slave Lake, Strathcona County, Sturgeon Country, Swan Hills, Valleyview, Warburg, Westlock, Wetaskiwin, and Whitecourt.
Support
Collaboration Stories:
Police and Court Support
- In March 2026, our Police and Court Support program (PACS) wrapped up work on The Criminalization and Survivorship Project, a 30-month national project undertaken in partnership with the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic and funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada. Aimed comprehensively at preventing and addressing the criminalization of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) survivors, the project focused on scaling up promising practices and developing a policy paper to combat coercive control and litigation abuse experienced by GBV survivors. SACE was contacted to participate in the project, and co-hosted an Edmonton-based forum for service providers in March 2025. The Edmonton-based forum was key to the findings and the Barbra Schlifer Clinic expressed immense thanks to SACE. The project’s detailed findings were published on conclusion of the project.
- This year we developed and delivered a presentation focusing on the intersection of the criminal legal system and cases of sexual violence for the MacEwan Anti-Violence Education Network (MAVEN) Peer Education Program. The session provided an in-depth look at how these cases navigate the legal process, offering students a clearer understanding of the procedural complexities involved. The legal overview was accompanied by a training segment dedicated to sexual violence survivor support that focused on trauma-informed care and practical strategies. To ensure a connection to local advocacy, we provided a roadmap of the resources and specialized support services available within the Edmonton area, including SACE services. The experience strengthened relationships with local groups and set up a smoother pathway for referrals. Activities like this are essential for expanding sector capacity to support victims of sexual violence.
- SACE has participated in the Advocate Case File Review with the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) since 2019, and for the first time, this year our PACS team also completed a Case File Review with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). This marks an important step forward in strengthening our relationship with the RCMP, which in turn strengthens our abilities in supporting our clients. SACE has not previously had a specific point of contact within the RCMP, which has made it difficult to address questions or resolve issues in a timely manner. The strengthening of this relationship not only helped bridge that gap, but also provided critical insight into RCMP procedures and investigative processes. PACS has been able to share this information with the broader SACE Clinical team, enhancing their understanding of what to expect during RCMP investigations and further strengthening client support.
Counselling
Impact Stories:
Counselling
Increasing inter-agency collaborations and referrals to better match primary presenting concerns
- This year we implemented a more robust readiness assessment for adults interested in counselling at SACE. As a result, we are connecting more people to alternative services that better suit their short-term or specific needs. For example, some may benefit from general mental health support with an agency like Counselling Alberta prior to accessing specialized trauma processing counselling.
- Our team has continued collaboration with CASA, NCSA, EPS, YWCA Edmonton, SART, SAiF, Zebra, and RCMP to ensure mutual clients are offered appropriate support. These referrals have meant that people who are ready for highly specialized trauma-specific recovery support are able to access our essential and unique services in a timelier manner. Though we anticipated that our waitlist would continue to grow (and it has), by better assessing primary presenting concerns and referring to appropriate services elsewhere when clinically indicated, we have been able to ensure survivors are not waiting long for our services.
Education & Consultation
Education Story:
Trust and intentional relationship building
This year started with receiving approval from the Government of Alberta’s Minister of Education, through the Education Amendment Act, to resume delivery of our youth presentations in junior high schools. Once approval notice was given, our team was able to begin facilitation immediately. This was due in part to the ongoing curriculum adaptations we make, and to the positive relationships we maintained with school principals, teachers, and administrators throughout the approval process. As a longtime third-party vendor, SACE stayed in constant contact with school staff to preserve the positive relationships made throughout our many years of education facilitation across the Edmonton area. The Public Education (PE) team has been very busy facilitating these presentations, with most schools booking three or more presentations to make up for lost time. The PE team did an amazing job providing our services within a condensed timeframe and meeting the demand from Edmonton schools.
The WiseGuyz (WG) team has also continued to demonstrate innovation and adaptability in response to the Education Amendment Act legislation changes around engaging with students in school settings. In anticipation of a shorter WG facilitation year, the team adapted the curriculum to be able to meet the needs of students and maintain curriculum integrity and structure while adhering to new legislative processes. This primarily involved adjusting module schedules and delivery, in conjunction with varying approval timelines as set by the Ministry of Education.
While awaiting approval, the WiseGuyz team received an outpouring of support from school staff and parents. This response highlights the value that schools and families place on WiseGuyz and the important role the program plays in their communities
Another success this year: the WiseGuyz team was able to facilitate the full WiseGuyz program at maskêkosak kiskinomâtowikamik School on Enoch Cree Nation. Since this school falls outside of Alberta Education’s jurisdiction, the WiseGuyz team does not face the same learning and teaching resource approval process. This year also marked an important milestone as this was the fourth year we facilitated the program at the school, which means that every male student from Grades 9 – 12 has received WiseGuyz education. A group of students from last year’s WiseGuyz group came to the facilitator to say hello and shared times when they used the information from WiseGuyz in their everyday life. This included using the assertive communication formula and other techniques taught. Previous WiseGuyz students from this school also told the current students to “listen to the facilitator, this stuff is important.” This demonstrates the value that WiseGuyz graduates put on the content, and illustrates the rapport that the facilitators built with previous groups. Ongoing connections with student populations like this is an incredible step forward towards fostering long-term change and creating cultures of consent.
2025-2026
Education Topics
Live Presentations
- 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities & Sexual Violence
- Bill 21 Sexual Violence & Healthcare Systems
- Child Sexual Abuse
- Creating Safer Spaces & Responding to Sexual Violence
- From Impact to Action
- Gender, Sexuality, & Media
- Gender Stereotypes & the Media
- Healthy Relationships
- Intimate Partner Violence
- Legal Systems & Sexual Violence
- Masculinities
- Mental Health
- Non-Consensual Photo Sharing
- Police & Court Support at SACE
- Privilege & Oppression
- Recognizing & Responding to Sexual Violence
- Rejection Resilience
- Responding to Sexual Violence: Children & Youth
- Restorative Justice & Sexual Violence
- Sexual Assault & Consent
- Sexual Assault, Consent, & Non-Consensual Photo Sharing
- Sexual Harassment
- Sexual Violence
- Sexual Violence & Bystander Intervention Strategies
- Sexual Violence in the Workplace
- Sexual Violence Trauma
- SPEAK Safe Preschoolers (Parent Information)
- Supportive Responses to Sexual Violence
- Supportive Responses to Sexual Violence: Children and Youth
- Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence
- Trauma Informed Responses to Disclosures of Sexual Violence
- Violence Prevention & Advocacy
- WiseGuyz Program Curriculum
- WiseGuyz Program Pitch
Online Course Topics
- Information for Partners & Supporters
- Recognizing and Responding to Sexual Violence
- Racism and Sexual Violence
- Sexual Violence and the 2SLGBTQ+ Community
- Consent: Ask Me About It! (High School)
- Ask First: Sexual Assault and Consent (Youth Online Course)
Outreach & Awareness
Wîwîp'son Healing Circle for Indigenous Women
This year, the SACE Counselling team is incredibly proud of the work done through the Wîwîp’son Healing Circle for Indigenous Women, a closed therapeutic group for Indigenous women (trans and Two-Spirit inclusive) who have experienced sexual abuse and/or assault, whether as children or as adults.
Group Outline
Wîwîp’son is facilitated at the SACE office where, to reduce barriers, clients are provided with a healthy hot meal as well as bus tickets, parking subsidies, and/or childcare subsidies as needed. In line with the holistic teachings of the Four Aspects of Self the groups are structured in a way that honours this view of healing. The outline for the group is as follows:
- Opening circle: Pipe Ceremony & Introductions
- Physical: Boundaries & Self-care
- Physical: Sexual Abuse – Myths & Facts
- Mental: Trauma & Impacts
- Mental: Self-Compassion
- Emotional: Living with Difficult Emotions
- Emotional: Healthy Sexuality
- Spiritual: Journeying with Grief
- Spiritual: From Surviving to Thriving
- Closing circle: Healing and Hope
Each session begins with a smudge and prayer, and includes a combination of psychoeducation, cultural teachings, and sharing circles. Participants are also offered the opportunity to schedule time between sessions with any of the group facilitators for additional support, including our Auntie or Elder. Facilitating ongoing access to Elders is an important part of carrying forward the work of Wîwîp’son to foster ongoing connection to culture and community in the lives of participants. The work of rebuilding one’s life cannot be contained to 10 weeks, and therefore access to ongoing spiritual support may be a crucial part of ongoing recovery and healing for Wîwîp’son participants.
Feedback on the program
This group arose out of the identified need to increase access to cultural teachings and connection for Indigenous women. Throughout the five years that SACE has offered Wîwîp’son, feedback has consistently been positive, with many participants sharing how transformative and healing the group has been for them. One participant went so far as to suggest that communities across Canada should adopt the structure that SACE uses for this group. Another takeaway from this feedback is the heartfelt desire of participants to have increased ceremony and connection to the land, both in Wîwîp’son and outside of it. Additional positive feedback included appreciation for childcare and parking subsidies that made it easier for participants to attend, gratitude for the facilitation team and integration of psychological information and cultural teachings, and increased sense of connection to self, others, and culture.
Ribbon Skirt Workshop
We have also received feedback about the desire for additional opportunities for cultural teachings and connections. In response to this, the SACE team has offered a Ribbon Skirt Workshop for clients and Indigenous community members to participate in at the conclusion of the group.
A ribbon skirt is a traditional Indigenous skirt that is worn by Indigenous women and femme-identified folks during ceremony or community events, with some folks wearing them daily to show their connection to community and Creator. Many Indigenous clients at SACE report disconnection from traditional cultural activities and have shared about the barriers that exist in reconnecting with community. As a part of our expansion of wrap-around supports for Wîwîp’son, and in the hopes of reducing these barriers, we collaborated with a local artist, Elder, and knowledge keepers to provide teachings and facilitation of a workshop in which participants learn to make ribbon skirts.
Each day opens with a smudge, a prayer, and teachings on the history of ribbon skirts. This workshop serves as a continued connection for past Wîwîp’son participants, as well as an opportunity for Indigenous women in the community to connect with SACE and culture. Many participants choose to donate a completed skirt to SACE, and we now have ribbon skirts on hand for clients to wear during ceremony, addressing another potential barrier: in the event that a client does not have their own skirt, we can now provide them with one for the pipe ceremony that starts each Wîwîp’son circle.
This workshop is also an opportunity for cross-departmental collaboration, as the Clinical Team Lead and a staff member from Community Engagement attend to support facilitators and participants as needed. As a team, we are grateful to provide these opportunities for cultural connection, safety, and healing for our community.
Supporting Volunteers
To become a support line volunteer, prospective volunteers must apply, interview, and then successfully complete our volunteer training program. Spanning more than seventy hours, this program remains one of the most rigorous in Alberta, covering essential modules on trauma, sexual violence, anti-oppression, colonialism, boundaries, technology-facilitated sexual violence, self-care, resourcing, and risk assessment (including child sexual abuse, suicide, and domestic abuse). Support for these incredible volunteers is an important part of what we do as an agency.
Volunteer Awards
SACE recognized some of our brilliant volunteers at our annual volunteer awards night for 2025-2026.
- Keira Gow was presented with the Rick Chalifoux / Jean Gauthier Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award, in honour of two SACE volunteers who worked on the crisis lines and fundraising. Keira has been volunteering with SACE since Fall 2021 and has contributed a total of 468 hours (234 shifts) to the support lines during her time as a volunteer. Keira has served as a mentor for our newest volunteer cohorts, offering exceptional support to her fellow volunteers. Her performance on the line is consistently competent, reflecting her dedication to quality support.
- Zoya Sultanow was awarded the Heather Huet Memorial Creativity Award. This award acknowledges a volunteer for their creativity in empowering SACE to better fulfill its mission to support people impacted by sexual violence and engage communities to promote respect and uphold a culture of consent. Through the Dive Deep Program, Zoya created an insightful zine exploring sex education as a tool for sexual violence prevention - work that reflected both personal initiative and a deep understanding of community education.
- David Shrimpton was the recipient of the Roots Awards, presented to any volunteer who reaches five or more years of active service with SACE. This award is awarded EVERY year after 5 years. David is our longest-serving volunteer, having dedicated more than a decade to supporting SACE fundraising efforts!
2025-2026
Counselling Group Clients
People were supported through a range of process-based counselling groups and psychoeducation groups through the 2025-2026 year.
SACE groups are delivered based on demand as well as agency capacity.
ASHA (Adult Survivors Healing from Abuse)
Runs once per week for 15 weeks with one break week
Who It’s For
Adult women (trans-inclusive) who have experienced sexual abuse in childhood.
Description
ASHA is a closed therapeutic group for adult women (trans-inclusive) who have experienced sexual abuse in childhood. In order to participate in this group, individuals need to have completed individual counselling. This group offers counselling clients the opportunity to continue their therapeutic process in a group setting. Each week focuses on a topic addressing the impacts of sexual violence.
The first part of each group session is spent exploring the topic of the week, and the second half is spent engaging in open circle. Open circle offers participants the space to express how they feel or understand the topic of the evening, or to share about experiences occurring in their day-to-day lives. This group runs once per week for 15 weeks with one break week.
For more information about ASHA, to discuss suitability, or to register for the next available series, please reach out to counselling@sace.ca or call our office at 780.423.4102
Topics Include:
- Group Introduction & Self-Care
- Trauma & Coping
- Sleep, Flashbacks, & Nightmares
- Boundaries
- Anxiety & Depression
- Anger & Betrayal
- Self-Compassion
- Shame & Guilt
- Attachment & Healthy Relationships
- Inner Child
- Facts & Stigma
- Offender Behaviour
- Intimacy & Healthy Sex
- Post-Traumatic Growth
SASS (Sexual Assault Survivors Support)
Runs once per week for 15 weeks
Who It’s For
Adult women (trans-inclusive) who have experienced sexual assault as adults.
Description
SASS is a closed therapeutic group for adult women who have experienced sexual assault as adults. The group is designed to provide support, build community and reduce isolation.
In order to participate in this group, individuals need to have completed individual counselling.
For more information about SASS, to discuss suitability, or to register for the next available series, please reach out to counselling@sace.ca or call our office at 780.423.4102
Topics Include:
- Group Introduction & Self-Care
- Trauma & Coping
- Anxiety & Depression
- Anger
- Attachment
- Boundaries
- Self-Compassion
- Myths & Facts
- Shame & Guilt
- Grief & Loss
- Healthy Relationships & Communication
- Intimacy & Healthy Sex
- Post-Traumatic Growth
RefleQT
Runs once per week for 15 weeks with one break week
Who It’s For
2SLGBTQIA+ adults of all genders who have experienced sexual abuse and/or assault, as children or as adults.
Description
This closed therapeutic group is for 2SLGBTQIA+ adults who have experienced sexual violence. Participants must have completed individual counselling related to sexual trauma, whether at SACE or with another counsellor or agency. While the program’s main focus is on supporting processing and healing from sexual trauma, it also provides an opportunity for participants to connect with other people from 2SLGBTQIA+ communities to share intersectional experiences around sexual assault and healing.
For more information about refleQT, to discuss suitability, or to register for the next available series, please reach out to counselling@sace.ca or call our office at 780.423.4102
Topics Include:
- Introduction & Coping
- Trauma and the Window of Tolerance
- Understanding Sexual Violence
- Attachment
- Emotion Regulation
- Boundaries
- Shame
- Anger
- Trust
- Finding Community
- Sexual Impacts
- Sexual Healing
Skills for Change
Runs once per week for 4 weeks
Who It’s For
Adult individuals of any gender who are on the waitlist to access counselling services at SACE
Description
Skills for Change is a closed psychoeducation group requiring registration. It is offered to adult individuals of any gender who are on the waitlist for counselling services at SACE, and may be accessed without having worked with a counsellor in the past.
Individuals on the waitlist for individual counselling have the choice if they would like to participate in this group, and choosing not to register does not disqualify someone from accessing individual counselling services. Similarly, participating in Skills for Change does not mean that an individual is required or guaranteed to continue on to individual counselling.
If at any time you have questions about accessing services at SACE, or your circumstances change impacting your ability to access support, call and ask to speak to a client care specialist.
Pre-screening
Participants are screened prior to accessing this group; clients presenting with psychosis, active and ongoing addiction, and/or significant suicidality are not recommended for this group.
For more information about Skills for Change, to discuss suitability, or to register for the next available series, please reach out to counselling@sace.ca or call our office at 780.423.4102
Topics Include:
- Self-Care and coping
- Emotional regulation
- Trauma and the stress response system
- Trauma impacts and coping
This group is available in an online format
What to expect:
Each week of this group builds on the skills and knowledge of the previous week. Content is focused on emotional regulation, education on the impacts of trauma on the brain, and how this can present behaviourally. Participants develop skills to manage their trauma symptoms and later, when they begin individual counselling, may find they are better equipped to more quickly move onto trauma processing work as they have developed their emotional regulation abilities.
Wîwîp’son Healing from Sexual Trauma Circle for Indigenous Women
Runs once per week for 10 weeks
For more on the meaning and connections of this name, visit our Wîwîp’son page.
Who It’s For
Indigenous women (Two-Spirit and trans-inclusive) who have experienced sexual abuse and/or assault, as children or as adults.
Description
This closed therapeutic group for Indigenous women (Two-Spirit and trans-inclusive) works to create a safe space to give voice to experiences of sexual abuse or assault, and to feel validated by the experiences of others in their communities. The group was developed in recognition that the experiences of Indigenous women are unique, and processing trauma from sexual assault or abuse needs to involve education about the bigger picture of colonialism and its inter-relationship with sexual violence.
The group’s format includes exposure or introduction to traditional teachings and ceremony, as well as education about trauma and its effect on the brain and body. It also covers skills to self-regulate triggers, and aims to reduce shame, and build self-confidence and self-esteem.
The program commences with an in-house pipe ceremony. The group is co-facilitated by an Elder (Kohkom), an Auntie, and two SACE staff therapists.
Each session begins with a smudge and prayer, and includes an educational component and cultural teaching. A healthy hot meal is provided. In line with the holistic teachings of the four aspects of self, each session and the whole group itself are structured in a way that honours this view of healing.
For more information about Wîwîp’son Healing Circle, to discuss suitability, or to register for the next available series, please reach out to counselling@sace.ca or call our office at 780.423.4102
The four phases of the group are:
- Opening Circle 1: Pipe ceremony, introductions & creating safe space
Physical: Preparing
- Circle 2: Boundaries/self-sovereignty & self-care
- Circle 3: Sexual abuse: definitions, myths & facts
Mental: Learning
- Circle 4: Trauma & impacts
- Circle 5: Self-compassion
Emotional: Processing
- Circle 6: Living with difficult emotions
- Circle 7: Healthy sexuality
Spiritual: Moving Forward
- Circle 8: Journeying with Grief
- Circle 9: From surviving to thriving
- Closing Circle 10: Healing & hope
Reclaiming Otipaymsowin (Buffalo Sage)
An open group that meets once per month between April & December with one break month
Who It’s For
Residents at Buffalo Sage Wellness House who have been directly or indirectly impacted by sexual violence. Please note that this group is not available to community members unless they reside at Buffalo Sage Wellness House.
Description
Topics Include:
- Caring for Self
- Consent
- Emotions – Your Body is Speaking
- Boundaries & Courage
- Trauma & Empowerment
- Grief & Its Role in Healing
- Self-Compassion & Receiving Care
- Self-Love & Women’s Traditional Roles
- Healing & Hope
Note: Otipaymsowin is a Cree word/teaching about self-sovereignty
2025-2026
Collaborators & Partners
This report features the stories of many of our collaborations and partnerships from the year. Other valued partners and collaborators this year include:
