This guide was developed from the “Rural Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Line Roundtable” hosted in Phoenix, AZ in June 2018. This roundtable brought together 20 rural advocates and program directors from across the country to discuss strong helpline services in rural communities. Over the course of two days advocates and directors shared their thoughts and experiences providing helpline services to sexual violence survivors in rural communities. Quotes from these participants are shared throughout this facilitation guide.
This guide can be used to facilitate conversations with staff at your own rural program. These are the same questions and activities used during the roundtable and have been adapted for your use. Depending on schedules and other activities, you can set aside an entire day to discuss helplines, or infuse these questions into staff meetings and regular supervision to continue the conversations. At the end of this guide, you will find worksheets that you can print for your team.