FARMINGTON – Franklin County’s sexual-assault crisis center, SAVES (Sexual Assault Victims Emergency Services), will host three support groups this fall. All groups will be facilitated by Aimee DesRoches, MSW, and will meet at the SAVES office every Tuesday beginning Sept. 30 and continuing through Dec. 2.
“Support groups are a dynamic and confidential space in which someone can feel safe,” said Judy Rawlings, executive director of SAVES. “Without support, it can feel very difficult to heal from trauma.”
DesRoches will facilitate a wide range of groups this fall, including “Expressive Arts.” This group will provide the opportunity for individuals to explore their lives through art. They will also have the potential to learn skills around managing symptoms of traumatic stress. No previous art experience is necessary. Expressive Arts will meet Tuesdays between noon-1:30 PM.
SAVES will also offer “Writing For Recovery” using author Julia Cameron’s text “The Artist’s Way.” This group will provide an environment for individuals to open up their creativity and create peace for themselves through writing. No previous experience is necessary. Writing for Recovery will meet Tuesdays between 6:00-7:30 PM.
Finally, SAVES will offer an empowerment group based on Judith Herman’s TREM (Trauma Recovery Empowerment Model) that provides participants the opportunity to explore anything that they feel may be immobilizing their journeys through life. Empowerment will meet Tuesdays between 4 PM-5:30 PM.
To learn more about SAVES or to sign up for a support group, contact SAVES at 778-9522 or visit SAVES’ Web site at www.savesrapecrisis.org. If you would like information or support related to any type of sexual violence, please call our 24-hour confidential helpline at 1-800-871-7741. If you are a cell phone user in Franklin County, you may call 1-866-740-9516.
