The Counseling Center is the primary on-campus mental health resource for survivors of sexual trauma. We provide a variety of clinical, educational, consultation, and referral services for survivors. We are a confidential resource.

The Counseling Center's Sexual Trauma Empowerment Program (STEP) offers free and confidential short and long-term individual, group, and emergency sexual trauma counseling services for James Madison University students, who are able to come in for their first visit any time during our business hours to discuss treatment options with STEP or community resources. Non-emergent first visit walk-in appointments occur 10am-3pm, Monday-Friday. However, if you have an urgent need to discuss a recent sexual assault you are able to visit the Counseling Center when we are open Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm during the regular academic year. 

The Counseling Center is a confidential resource. The Center is NOT required to report to Title IX, and will not do so (unless it is at your direct request with written authorization).

If you would like to learn more about the reporting requirements of university personnel outside of the Counseling Center, visit the Title IX Office's employee reporting requirement information page.

Quick Links:

• Counseling Center Sexual Trauma Empowerment Program Services
• What is Sexual Violence?
• What to do if you or someone you know experiences a sexual trauma
• STEP FAQs
• Sexual Trauma Myths
• Multicultural Survivors of Sexual Trauma
• Stalking FAQs
• Other Resources

How to get assistance with a crisis or emergency

Individual Counseling

Individual counseling provides survivors with a safe and confidential environment to explore their sexual trauma and/or how it may be affecting other aspects of their current functioning. A trauma-informed and collaborative approach is taken, and the clinician and client work together to identify goals and directions for treatment.

Support Group

During the fall and spring semesters of each academic year, the Counseling Center offers support groups for survivors of sexual trauma. Groups are available to current, full-time undergraduate and graduate students and there is no session limit on group participation. Those who participate in group are required to also be currently connected with an individual therapist either in the Counseling Center or in the community. Survivors of all types of sexual trauma are welcome. Group is designed to help survivors connect with others with a shared experience and empower one another in their healing. Participants are not required to share specific details of their trauma within group. For more information contact Emily Leonard at leonarea@jmu.edu. 

STEP Wilderness Therapy Retreat

Once a semester there is a one-day hiking and rock climbing retreat provided to 6-10 JMU students who identify as survivors of sexual assault. Counseling Center clinicians, a Victim Advocate, and one to two certified wilderness guide(s) will also be in attendance. The STEP Retreat is offered annually during the Fall semester. It typically occurs during Fall Break. Wilderness activities include hiking, rock climbing, leave no-trace education, and survival skills. Most gear will be provided. Additionally, therapeutic elements include therapy process groups, inter- and intra-personal skill building, natural interventions, and self-reflection. For more information contact Melinda Fox at fox3mm@jmu.edu.

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy

The Counseling Center uses the Eagala model to offer equine assisted psychotherapy. This unique non-traditional therapy provides students a ground-based, solution oriented, team approach. It can help with anxiety, trauma, grief, and more. Students connected with this CC services work with a mental health professional, equine specialist, and horse(s). No previous horse experience required. Equine assisted psychotherapy is a partnership between the Counseling Center, University Health Center, & Rocky Hills Stables, LLC. For more information, contact: Dr. Magali Laitem at laitemmx@jmu.edu.

Consultation

Consultation services are available to sexual trauma survivors as well as friends of survivors, faculty, staff, and family members. These services can help provide an understanding of the available Counseling Center services, how to help support a survivor of sexual trauma, and relevant aspects of Title IX. To access these services, please contact the Counseling Center and request a consultation, by phone or in person, for you or about someone you know who has been assaulted.

Connect With Advocacy

The Counseling Center will help assist individuals get connected to the advocates, who are located next door to the Counseling Center in the Victim Advocacy office (SSC, Suite 3200). For individual clients interested in advocacy and have additional questions, advocates can join a session and/or the individual can walk over to the advocacy space before or after a session to ask questions. Additionally, clients may sign a release of information that allows their counselor and advocate to help best support the student. To learn more about the similarities and differences between counseling and advocacy review the following Venn diagram link, Understanding Counseling & Advocacy Services. 

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Sexual violence describes any kind of sexual activity or act that is unwanted when consent is not obtained or freely given. It impacts every community and affects people of all genders, sexual orientations, and ages. ^[1.]

There are a variety of ways sexual violence is defined by offices and agencies: 

• Code of Virginia - Criminal Sexual Assault
• OSARP (JMU Student Handbook: Sexual Misconduct Accountability Process)
• JMU Policy on Discrimination and Harassment
• Title IX
• Title IX Glossary of Terms
• Title IX Sexual Harassment Adjudication Process (from Student Handbook)

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If you have recently experienced sexual violence visit the Victim Advocacy Get Help page for information about resources and support options.

Sexual traumas involve loss of power and control. Supporting a survivor should include helping them regain this control in part through ensuring they make informed decisions. Before listening to a survivor's story, it is important to share your Title IX reporting responsibilities. Visit our page on supporting a survivor of sexual assault.

How Can I Help?

• Believe the person who tells you that he or she has experienced a sexual trauma and remember that it is NEVER the survivor's fault.
• Do not be offended if the survivor does not tell you everything immediately. The survivor may be afraid of others' reactions and feel ashamed of what happened. Waiting to share can be very common.
• Listen and believe the survivor, affirming that he/she has your support.
• Give control to the survivor. Allow the survivor to speak for him/herself. Sexual assault is a crime that takes away individual power. Survivors need to make their own decisions so they can regain power over their own lives.
• Often, survivors blame themselves for their experience. Assure them that it was not their fault, even if they were intoxicated. The only person who should take responsibility for what happened is the assailant.
• Realize that people of all shapes, sizes, races, ethnicities, religions, genders, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic statuses can be affected by sexual trauma.
• Educate yourself on different stereotypes and myths surrounding sexual trauma.
• Recognize that degrading sex-role stereotypes and misconceptions about sexual orientation may make it difficult for individuals of diverse populations to disclose their experiences.
• Encourage the individual to seek additional services such as counseling, legal help, familial support, etc., but don't push–let the survivor make the decisions.
• Seek support for yourself; consider contacting the Counseling Center to utilize consultation services or make an individual appointment to talk about your experience surrounding the sexual assault.

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Who will I talk to if I come into the Counseling Center?

You will be scheduled for an initial assessment appointment with a qualified clinician to help you understand what services are available and to make decisions regarding how you want to begin addressing your sexual trauma. Counseling at the Counseling Center is a collaborative endeavor in which the clinician and client work together to identify goals and directions for treatment.

What is the difference between individual counseling sessions and advocacy services?

Individual counseling and Advocacy services are both confidential resources. Counseling provides an individual space to focus on healing from the trauma, while advocacy may focus on answering questions an individual might have on resources available and reporting processes. For more information about the similarities and differences between counseling and advocacy please use the following Venn diagram link, Understanding Counseling & Advocacy Services. 

Please note - you may choose to work with a Counseling Center clinician, an advocate, or both. You may also access these services in any order and may move between the two, depending on your needs. Counseling and Advocacy can also coordinate care and collaborate in supporting you, with your permission.

Will I be forced to give details about the sexual trauma?

No. At the Counseling Center, you are only required to share what you are comfortable sharing. Our immediate concern is your safety. After safety has been established, you have control over what you choose to share and what you choose to keep to yourself. While talking openly with a clinician about your sexual trauma is often an important part of healing, this is only done with your consent and at your pace.

Will I have to share the name of those involved?

No. You can choose to share name(s) during a session or not, however, this information will be kept confidential.

If I choose to go to the hospital, what will happen there?

You may choose to go to the hospital for any injuries that may have occurred, to have evidence collected, or to address questions regarding the possibility of pregnancy and/or STI transference. An advocate from JMU or the Collins Center can be avaialble to support you at the hospital.

If you are considering pressing charges and choose to have evidence collected, you will be seen by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) who will prepare a kit of the evidence. These exams are most effective when conducted within 72 hours of the sexual trauma. The evidence kit will be submitted for forensic analysis but it will be kept confidential. If you are not yet sure whether you would like to report, you can request an anonymous physical evidence kit in order to preserve evidence while you are still deciding what you'd like to do next.

Do I have to press charges?

No. If you do not wish to press charges, you do not have to.

Do I have to tell my parents?

No. Your parents may be able to assist you with any resources you may need or additional support; however, if you do not want your parents to know about your sexual trauma, you do not have to tell them. Who you tell is up to you.

Will the clinician talk about my business to other people?

Clinicians are sworn by a code of ethics and Virginia law not to breach client-clinician confidentiality. Within the Counseling Center, your clinician may seek supervision or consultation; however, these conversations are also kept confidential and would not include the sharing of any unnecessary information. There are a few exceptions to the general rule of confidentiality: if the client is expressing harm to him/herself or others, if there is suspicion of a current case of child or elder abuse, or in the event of a court order.

I was drinking when it happened. Doesn't that make it my fault?

No. Choosing to drink does not mean you are choosing to experience sexual violence. You do not lose any rights as a person if you choose to consume alcohol.

What is Title IX? 

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 requires all university employees to report disclosures of sexual harassment and sexual assault to the Office of Equal Opportunity in an effort to foster and maintain an environment free from sex discrimination, and so that the university can provide a prompt and effective response. Most JMU faculty, staff, and student employees must abide by these requirements. As staff members of the Counseling Center, we are exempt from Title IX reporting requirements, and communications with our clients are privileged by law. Learn more about JMU's Title IX Office. 

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Please note, most of the resources listed below are subject to Title IX reporting requirements. For more information on Title IX reporting, visit JMU's Title IX website.

• JMU Police Department- 540-568-6911
  Emergency contact, reporting, and reporting inquiries.
• OSARP- 540-568-6218
  To learn how JMU defines sexual assault; to learn about the judicial process at JMU.
• Victim Advocacy - 540-568-6251
  A safe, confidential, welcoming, and inclusive resource for JMU students.
  

Local Services:

• The Collins Center - 540-434-2272
  24-hour sexual assault crisis hotline, counseling services, prevention and outreach
• Commonwealth Attorney's Victim Witness Program - 540-564-3350
  Assistance & support through the criminal trial process
• Harrisonburg Police Department - 540-434-4436

State and National Services:

• Domestic Violence Hotline - 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233)
• FaithTrust Institute (all religions and ethnicities) - www.faithtrustinstitute.org/
• Men's Domestic Abuse Helpline - 1-888-743-5754
• National Gay and Lesbian Task Force - www.thetaskforce.org
• National Organization on Male Sexual Victimization - www.malesurvivor.org
• National Sexual Assault Hotline - 1-800-656-HOPE (1-800-656-4673)
• Pandora's Project - http://www.pandys.org/
  Online message board for survivors and friends or family of survivors.
• The Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN): 24-hour online chat support, information gateway and support forum
• Stalking Resource Center: The National Center for Victims of Crime - 1-800-FYI-CALL (1-800-394-2255)
• Virginia Family Violence & Sexual Assault Hotline - 1-800-838-8238
  Toll-free, confidential, 24-hour service that provides crisis intervention, support, information, and referrals to family violence and sexual assault survivors, their friends and families, professionals, and the general public.

REFERENCE: 

1. Centers for Disease Control And Prevention Sexual Violence Prevention. (2024, January, 23). About Sexual Violence. U.S. Centers for Disease Control And Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/sexual-violence/about/index.html 

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