New UC Counselor Dedicated to Helping Sexual Assault Survivors

The recent release of a

White House report

and the White House’s

“It’s On Us”

campaign, both designed to help protect students from sexual assault, has raised attention to crimes of sexual violence and their consequences to a new level of national prominence.

At the University of Cincinnati, new resources in the form of staff as well as training are being added to long-standing advocacy and education efforts related to reducing sexual misconduct.

• SEE online listing of support resources at UC and in the community.

For instance, this past August, staff therapist Anusha Zechella joined UC’s Counseling and Psychological Services Center (

CAPS

) in order to not only offer general counseling services to students but to specifically serve as a 24/7 resource to students in crisis due to sexual harassment, misconduct or assault. All services offered by Zechella and other licensed staff at CAPS are completely confidential.

She explained, “My role is to be completely dedicated to the students who come to us.  I’m here to offer emotional and psychological support and to help put students in touch with other needed resources.”

A second staff professional will soon join the CAPS team. Like Zechella, the new professional will provide general counseling services but also specifically serve as a 24/7 resource to students in crisis due to sexual harassment, misconduct or assault.

• Reach UC’s Counseling and Psychological Services Center 24/7 by calling 513-556-0648.

Prior to her arrival at UC this summer, Zechella trained and obtained clinical experience in two other college counseling centers, one at Miami University of Ohio and the other at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At both institutions, she worked with sexual assault survivors as part of her role.

Here at UC, she is also working with other offices and units, such as the

Women’s Center

, to enhance other sexual assault offerings, such as the peer-education program.

According to Zechella, collaborating with other units at UC and in the community is one of the best parts of her new role: “UC is on the forefront when it comes to realizing that university units and community resources must be integrated. One thing that drew me to UC was the culture of collaboration and the chance to make a difference as processes are further developed. Those working on issues related to sexual assault and misconduct are very caring about all of our students and helping students who need help to get that, and I’m part of setting up best practices.”

Zechella says that the best part of her role is making a difference in students’ lives and emphasizes that she knows what it’s like to be a student where the transition to college can sometimes feel overwhelming: “If there was one thing I’d want students to know about me, it’s that I get it. I really, really get it. I’ve been where they are. When you arrive at college, your parents leave and suddenly you’re on your own.”

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN CALLING CAPS

UC’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) has a 24/7 line at 513-556-0648.

If a student calls that line after hours, on weekends or over holidays, the call is transferred to a licensed agency that will take information from the student in order to assess the situation.

Zechella states, “We know that a crisis or emergency – whether it’s related to sexual assault or any other issue – doesn’t happen according to a schedule. If a call comes in after hours that is related to sexual misconduct, harassment or assault, I’ll be contacted, and I’ll get back to the student. Depending on the situation, I’ll seek to determine if the student is in a safe locale, do the police need to be called, etc. I’ll also help with the follow up, connections to resources, and of course offer the emotional and psychological support needed.”

TITLE IX AT UC

• Safe Living and Learning: More than 4,600 Students Participate in Title IX Training
  

• Title IX Training for New Students Part of UC Focus on Safe Living and Learning
  

• SEE online listing of support resources at UC and in the community.

• See Student Body President Christina Beer’s article on the Consent Culture Campaign at UC. This education and advocacy campaign is being carried out by UC students affiliated with DAAPCares, RECLAIM Peer Advocates and Student Government.

• UC's RECLAIM Peer Advocates deliver support to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, providing advocacy and awareness/education around these issues. 

• UC student leaders have pledged to bring the White House "It's On Us" campaign to campus.

• UC contracts with an experienced sexual-assault investigator with many years of higher education experience to conduct Title IX-related investigations.

• In October, UC will roll out an electronic tracking system in order to follow and pinpoint progress on Title IX-related cases.

• A dedicated Title IX coordinator will start at UC in November.

• By next fall, UC plans to roll out a bystander training program.
  

UC will continue to make enhancements to its Title IX efforts on a continuing basis. For instance, the university will track how students experience the campus climate and the code of conduct processes.