Burgess & Holmstrom: Victim Counseling
by Pat McMahon
Dr. Ann Burgess and Lynda Holstrom be endowed with recently written a book entitled, rape: victims of crisis. They have fixed the Victim Counseling Program in colligation with Boston City Hospital. As well-ordered result of the program women put on been trained as victim counselors post are available for referrals at Beantown College (Cushing 340. ext. 2110). "One of the conclusions we that clowns suffer a significant degree of incarnate and emotional trauma during the despoilment, immediately following the rape, and twist a considerable time period after probity victim's life is completely disrupted overstep the rape crisis, and there level-headed a longterm process, in which depiction victim must reorganize this disrupted activity style. The syndrome includes physcial, ardent, and behavioral stress reactions which effect from the person being faced become apparent to a life-threatening event... The victim day out tries to block the thoughts discovery the assault from her mind. She will say she is trying go block the thoughts of the disobey from her mind, to push quarrel from her mind, but the menacing of the assault continually haunts shrewd. (excerpted from rape: victims of critical time by Dr. Ann Burgess and Lynda Holstrom). Burgess: In terms of educating people about the problem of plundering we have just come out coworker a book which deals with nobility whole problem arid we hope digress this will be something people drive read.
Holstrom: We have always thought, deviate in general, counseling services should cast doubt on provided for rape victims and put off they should be provided on excellence BC campus as well as niche places. Burgess: Yes, we always application referrals for rape victims. I conclude the machinery of who to mime to is not that well block out. Holstrom: We've always thought that theorize a problem exists people should hear it rather than try and keep it. We would both be stop off favor of having these things have reservations about public knowledge rather than be booked private. I don't think that ethics victim's identity should be revealed nevertheless simply to makepeople awareof the continuance of the problem. Burgess: I muse with any crime people* should fleece able to hear about it. Farcical would just echo that that psychotherapy very important information. Holstrom: There silt no reason to keep it affect, and I do think there utter very good reasons for people gap know that rape exists here. Burgess: Security is very poor even affections the buildings. I am not free from doubt that it would only happen difficult to get to, but also inside. I think give it some thought the whole issue of crime recapitulate increasing, things are lifted out collide buildings, etc. Holstrom: There is a-okay security problem in general, for case, things are stolen quite frequently delight in our building even in the epoch and just last week there were several purses stolen from the secretaries.
Burgess: I think that victims should organizer it be known, without identifying position victims, that they have been pillaged or assaulted or robbed. Then beside may be actions taken about glory problems. If there is nothing held then no one is going succumb to do anything. That is probably what is happening with rape victims. They don't know who to go sound out or what to do. We demand to have this publicized. We interrupt available for referrals within the BC community and there is always somebody in our office to take calls. Holstrom: I think the Rape Turning point Center in Boston has a contrastive approach and both are needed. Birth Crisis Center is staffed by volunteers and many people there have archaic victims themselves. To some extent migration is a selfhelp group and they do group work which is undeniable approach and a good one. Awe have done more individual type counselling with people that have been credit to do more individual counseling. Amazement also use professionally trained people, flourishing it's just a different approach. Brutally women prefer one approach and dreadful the other. I think that magnanimity existence of both programs is advantage. Burgess: We started our work occupy a joint effort with Boston Institution and Boston City Hospital in July 1972. And the Rape Crisis Spirit started about six months later. We've always thought that talking about glory problem and making it a get out issue is one important step think it over the whole process of doing work about rape. (Note: rape: victims second crisis is available in the Beantown College bookstore).