Offender victims given counselling for childhood sexual abuse

An article from Voxy

Offenders who have experienced childhood sexual abuse are now receiving targeted counselling services through an innovative collaborative partnership between Corrections and Nelson’s SVS - Living Safe.
"A large proportion of offenders have themselves been victims," says Polly Cunningham, Corrections District Manager for Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast. "Very few have sought, or been offered, help in the past or considered the links between the abuse against them and their own antisocial behaviours."
Research tells us there is a strong correlation between child sex offending of males and later relational difficulties, violence, mental illness and drug/alcohol abuse. This is certainly evident in the population of prisons and probation services (both with adults and juveniles).
For the first time, the men in counselling are starting to get some closure and find a way forward. This is summarised by John (not his real name).
"Pretty much everything that happened after it (the abuse) - happened because of it. Counselling has helped me realise what I have to do to get over it."
American research shows that child maltreatment roughly doubles the probability that an individual engages in many types of crime, with childhood sexual abuse having the largest effects on crime. A study which explored the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and later antisocial behaviour found that 59% of prisoners questioned reported some form of childhood sexual abuse. "The counselling is aimed to help these offenders to work through some of the harm caused to them in their past, support them make changes in their own lives and help break the cycle of abuse for their own families and whanau," says Polly.
Through the partnership, identified offenders will be offered professional support and counselling. "We hope that this will help these men and women to move forward without the adverse effects and risky behaviours that can be seen in some victims of abuse, ultimately helping them to maintain a crime free life. Sometimes just letting them know there is somewhere safe they can go when they are ready can plant the seed or broker a new connection."
The programme, which is run by SVS in conjunction with The Male Room in Nelson, has been running for two years. Through this time, six offenders have attended the programme. "This initiative is making a real difference for the people we are seeing," says Dee Cresswell, Manager SVS - Living Safe. "Through this collaboration with Corrections and the Male Room, we are able to help offenders to address some of the underlying issues that contribute to their antisocial behaviours and in particular, to family violence. Partnerships like this demonstrate the benefits to individuals and the public when organisations take a holistic approach and work collaboratively to reduce offending and re-offending.
"We have had the opportunity for the past two years through innovation funding. Referrals were slow to start, but with the support of Practice Leader Gary Basset the momentum grew."
"Childhood abuse is a hard topic for Probation staff to raise with the people they manage and it is very difficult for offenders who have been affected by childhood abuse and never dealt with this to ask for help," says Gary.
"This partnership can make a life changing difference for these men at a very personal level and for their families and future generations."
The ACC programme is now delivered by SVS - Living Safe’s approved Assessors and providers to ACC approved clients through the Integrated Services for Sensitive Claims.

© 2015 Digital Advance Ltd

http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/offender-victims-given-counselling-childhood-sexual-abuse/5/224146

ACC privacy breach tip of iceberg

A news item from Voxy

While Wellington Rape Crisis is appalled by the ACC privacy breach of sensitive claims clients, which was made public yesterday, we believe that this breach is just the tip of the iceberg. "We know of many other situations where ACC sensitive claims clients have had their personal information accidentally disclosed to other parties", says Wellington Rape Crisis (WRC) Agency Manager Natalie Gousmett.
"In our small organisation we currently have several clients who are we are supporting in their complaints against ACC for privacy breaches".
"One client had 130 pages of private emails between her and her ACC case managers accidentally faxed to 3 external organisations and was not notified of this breach until she requested an IT sweep of her ACC file" says Natalie Gousmett, "this is a grievous breach of her privacy, causing her huge distress yet she has still not been offered support from ACC or even given full information about the breach".
WRC is concerned that the ACC systems that allow such breaches to happen are not adequate to ensure that the very personal and private information contained in sensitive claims files is treated with the confidentiality it needs.
"We question how 9000 names and case numbers would come to be in one spreadsheet rather than a secure database or how private client emails would be used on a fax at all" says Natalie Gousmett, "and we stand by our statements yesterday that ACC needs to investigate this and other breaches immediately and offer support and in some cases compensation for any trauma or damage caused".
Wellington Rape Crisis provides free counselling and support to hundreds of survivors of rape and sexual abuse of their families and friends every year and runs rape prevention education programmes through the Wellington Sexual Abuse Network.

http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/acc-privacy-breach-tip-iceberg/5/117613

ACC privacy breach 're-traumatisation'

An article from Voxy

Wellington Rape Crisis is appalled by the ACC privacy breach of sensitive claims clients, which was made public today.
"This massive breach of the privacy of nearly 250 sensitive claims clients needs to be investigated immediately", says Wellington Rape Crisis (WRC) Agency Manager Natalie Gousmett, "Many of these clients will be sexual violence and sexual abuse survivors. Having private information about their claims in the wrong hands may be experienced by many as a form of re-traumatisation, with their trust in ACC broken".
WRC believes that ACC should provide immediate and appropriate support for existing clients until individual clients that have been affected have been notified.
"Counselling and support and compensation for any damage caused will certainly need to be provided to those affected in recognition of the possible trauma that may result from exposure of such private and personal details" says Natalie Gousmett "ACC claimants will also need assurance that such a breach will not happen again".
Wellington Rape Crisis provides free counselling and support to hundreds of survivors of rape and sexual abuse of their families and friends every year and runs rape prevention education programmes through the Wellington Sexual Abuse Network.

Copyright 2012 Digital Advance Ltd

http://www.voxy.co.nz/politics/acc-privacy-breach-re-traumatisation/5/117481

Opposition MPs critical over ACC issue

A news report on Voxy from NZPA

Opposition MPs have criticised ACC Minister Nick Smith over his response to a report into the corporation's handling of sexual abuse claims, but the report has mainly laid blame with ACC.
Dr Smith initiated a review when concerns were raised about the difficulties victims faced in getting adequate treatment.
Released today, the report set out 14 recommendations, saying it discovered a "precipitous drop" in sensitive claims when it compared the first three months of 2009 with the first three months of this year.
A review panel, headed by Dr Barbara Disley, said ACC had changed the systems it used with too much haste and did not adequately consult relevant government and non-government organisations, or its own Sensitive Claims Advisory Group.
Dr Smith said he acknowledged that managing sensitive claims was challenging, but that he was not satisfied with ACC's handling of the issue. "There are important lessons for ACC to learn from this report.
"As recommended, I will be implementing an independent monitoring group to ensure ACC delivers on the report's recommendations," he said.
ACC said today the changes it made were about targeting services to those covered by its legislation and to improve the outcomes those people achieved. "We still believe those are reasonable goals."
General manager of claims management Denise Cosgrove said the changes were never about saving money -- something that has been suggested by some opposition MPs. "Year on year, our total expenditure in this area has hardly fallen and it is only a tiny part of ACC's total expenditure," she said. "However, it became clear that the changes we had introduced had excluded more people than we expected and, more importantly, there was little else available for them outside of ACC."
Ms Cosgrove said the review panel's report raised serious issues and ACC had already begun responding to them.
Labour Party victims rights spokeswoman Lynne Pillay accused Dr Smith of "buck passing" over the issue. "Nick Smith is apparently 'urging' ACC to take notice of a review of disastrous sexual abuse guidelines. That statement implies the minister is not responsible for ACC and the decisions it makes," she said.
Ms Pillay said guidelines introduced since National came to power were clearly done as a cost saving measure.
Green Party ACC spokesman Kevin Hague said Dr Smith's acknowledgement that problems were caused by changes made by ACC highlighted a need for an independent review of all changes made by ACC since National took office, so as to ensure accident victims were not being re-victimised.
Dr Smith said he was confident there would now be a system in place ensuring that sensitive claimants got the right services at the right time, and that it would be a significant improvement on what previously existed.

http://www.voxy.co.nz/politics/opposition-mps-critical-over-acc-issue/5/62561

Statement from the Sensitive Claims Clinical Review Panel

A statement reported on Voxy

The Sensitive Claims Clinical Review Panel was established to independently review and identify any changes to policies, procedures, guidelines and the clinical pathway to ensure that ACC is delivering timely decision-making and services to clients with a mental injury caused by sexual assault or sexual abuse (a Schedule 3 event) in accordance with its governing legislation.
Over the past three months, the Panel has received submissions from a significant number of organisations and individuals, reviewed files, considered the research evidence and met with providers of sexual abuse services and survivors.
"In early July the Panel met with the Minister for ACC and told him they were concerned that only half as many victims of sexual assault are applying for ACC support this year compared to last and many who do apply are declined or face significant delays in getting support," said Panel Chair Dr Barbara Disley.
"ACC's changes announced today mean that from next week new victims, or those with a new claim already in the system but awaiting a decision, will be eligible to get immediate support and this begins to address the Panel's concerns."
The Panel is not making any further comments at this stage and will present its report to the Minister in September.

Copyright 2010 Digital Advance Ltd
http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/statement-clinical-review-panel-pathway-acc-sensitive-claim/5/58389

Survivors outraged at ACC's proposed guideline changes

An article from Voxy

Widespread dissent at the proposed changes to ACC's funding criteria for help for sexual abuse and assault survivors can be felt throughout New Zealand with a national day of action against the changes planned for Monday 19 October.
Marches will take place in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
"People up and down New Zealand are outraged", said Felicity Perry, spokesperson for the Wellington group that has formed to challenge ACC's proposed guidelines. Rape Crisis New Zealand estimates that one in four women and one in eight men are survivors of sexual abuse and assault.
"All New Zealanders know someone who is affected by sexual abuse and assault. ACC should be supporting them, not abandoning survivors when they need help most", Perry said.
The proposed changes mean that in order to get ACC support survivors must be diagnosed with an illness from the American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, version four.
"Having to be diagnosed with a mental illness in order to receive treatment will further traumatize abuse survivors", said Perry.
Such survivors will have this diagnosis on their medical records for the rest of their lives and will be required to declare it if asked by insurance companies, banks and prospective employers, to name a few.
"It already takes on average 16 years for survivors of abuse to summon the courage to seek help. The proposed changes will mean that less and less survivors will ask for the help that they need," Perry said.
"It is hard enough living with the stigma of being an abuse survivor, let alone having the added stigma of being declared mentally ill," said Perry.
The effects of such stigma have already been witnessed with the recent suicide of a woman who was told by ACC that she needed a psychiatric report before they would approve further counselling.
The Injury, Prevention and Rehabilitation Act 2001 states that ACC is to reduce the incidence and severity of personal injury and minimise both the overall incidence of injury in the community, and the impact of injury on the community (including economic, social, and personal costs).
"According to its governing legislation, ACC should be helping survivors, not marginalizing them. Denying survivors who refuse to be labeled as mentally ill the help they need means that everyone suffers," Perry said.
"For most people ACC is the only agency to turn to in their time of need. Other agencies are underfunded and in short supply. If ACC is shirking from its responsibility to society, it needs to fund other counselling agencies," said Perry. "Instead ACC has shown that it is not committed to helping abuse survivors by creating obstacles for survivors to get help and cutting its funding of the Auckland Sexual Abuse Help Foundation's 24-hour crisis line and call-out service," said Perry.
Marchers will gather on Monday 19 October at the Albert Park Band Rotunda in Auckland at 12 noon; at the Cenotaph in Wellington at 12.30pm; at the Speakers' Corner, Cathedral Square in Christchurch at 12.30pm; and at the ACC offices on the corner of Maclaggan and Clark Streets in Dunedin at 3pm.

http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/survivors-outraged-acc039s-proposed-guideline-changes/5/27493

Is The Blood On ACC's Hands?

An article from Voxy

A few weeks ago a male survivor, a professional young man who said he had been "violently raped" at the age of 7 years by member of his extended family warned the heads of the ACC Sensitive Claims Unit (SCU) that the "blood will be on your hands" if the new Clinical Pathway to access therapy for survivors of sexual abuse was implemented. In his view if he had to face the Clinical Pathway that the ACC SCU was proposing to implement on 27th October he would probably not have got the counselling help he needed as a student in his 20s. In a letter he told the heads of ACC and the Minister of ACC:
"I am absolutely certain that without the help of a counsellor, the pain and disability that I experienced due to the abuse I suffered as a child would have driven me to suicide. I would not be here today. At the time when I went to see my counsellor, I barely had the confidence or strength to tell him about the existence of the abuse. If my counsellor had told me I needed to see ACC's shrink three times and be diagnosed with a mental condition before I could go to counselling, I would never have gone back. The bottom line is that many young New Zealanders will not let themselves be diagnosed as crazy, and nor should they have to, to receive sex abuse counselling. Other than ACC counselling, many of those youngsters will never have an opportunity to receive counselling to deal with the consequences of child sexual abuse. Some of those individuals will commit suicide. When people start committing suicide as a result of the ACC's new policy, the blood will be on your hands. If this new policy is implemented, I hope that you like awake every night thinking about the talented, innocent young New Zealanders who have died because of the changes you have made".
Could the following case be the first example of the "blood on their hands" even before the Clinical Pathway is implemented?
A woman took years in the mental health system before she finally felt able to disclose that she had experienced many years of extreme sexually abuse by a member of her family as a child.
While in the mental health system she had been labelled with a particularly stigmatising psychiatric diagnosis because of her self-harming behaviours and suicide attempts. She reported feeling "judged", not taken seriously but instead felt "dismissed" by those in the mental health system.
Once she disclosed the sexual abuse she was referred for ACC subsidised counselling.
She completed ACC counselling several years ago and had stablised her life sufficiently to hold down a steady job and develop a secure ongoing relationship.
Recently she was extremely distressed at work when she came across a child who had been sexually abused at the same age as when the sexual abuse began for her. Distress about this child's case meant that the woman could not return to her job.
At her own costs she went to see a private psychiatrist to assess her for medication - she did not want to see a psychiatrist in the mental health system because of her previous experiences.
To help her deal with symptom of flashbacks, nightmares, sleeping difficulties, and difficulties concentrating at her work, she sought further ACC subsidised counselling support.
ACC accepted her claim to return to counselling and allocated her a number of sessions. Over a few weeks she became more stable. She was contacted by ACC and told that in order to be allocated further counselling sessions she needed to be assessed by an ACC psychiatrist. She was told that the ACC psychiatrist would assess her self-harming behaviours and also which of her issues should be covered by ACC and which issues she should be referred back to the mental health system for. The client was concerned that ACC would insist on her returning back to the mental health system.
When the client then read in the media about the new ACC SCU Clinical Pathway she asked her counsellor how the implementation of this pathway could affect her. She clearly had the impression from ACC that they were assessing how much of her issues were to do with the sexual abuse. Her counsellor helped her consider what options she had if ACC would no longer fund her therapy. The client was concerned that she would not be able to afford to pay for counselling if ACC stopped subsidising her sessions. She had had to leave her job as a result of being triggered to remember her child sexual abuse experiences, had costs associated with paying to see a psychiatrist privately to avoid going back into the mental health system and therefore had built up some debt.
The woman's counsellor said when she next saw the client and the woman was worried about how her partner was being affected by her trauma-related depression and worried that the relationship may not last. She reported feeling "weighted down" by how difficult her life was becoming - financial difficulties, being off work, worrying about her relationship, worrying about how she would be able to pay for therapy if ACC stopped funding her counselling and insisted that she return for help back to the mental health system. She reported "nothing feels stable".
She committed suicide two days later.
Her counsellor was understandably distraught and reviewed the last few sessions several times in supervision.
The counsellor has been left with uncertainty and states that although her client was suicidal she "might have been able to have been more supported if she had been confident that ongoing therapy would continue" and "also if she had not dreaded yet another psychiatric assessment where she was scared of some negative assessment that would impact on her". "I recognise that even if either of those two things had been changed she still may have decided to suicide but ... "
Many people do not realise that for some survivors of severe interpersonal trauma such as child sexual abuse, their counsellor may be their lifeline. If their connection to their counsellor is threatened (in this case by having to see a psychiatrist for an assessment in order to decide whether ACC will continue to cover further counselling sessions), for some their very life feels under threat.
Therapists who work with survivors of sexual abuse as well as survivors themselves have advised ACC of this fact. They have told the Minister of ACC Nick Smith, the Associate Minister of ACC Pansy Wong and the ACC Sensitive Claims Unit hierarchy continuously that their new processes are not safe and clients' lives are at stake.
ACC does not appear to be listening to survivors of sexual violence or to the experts who work with them.
ACC will not be moved on insisting that to have a claim for therapy accepted in the first one or two sessions: 1) a psychiatric diagnosis is required and 2) 'a clear causal link' between the abuse and the current effects is proven.
This means that in the first one or two sessions a survivor of sexual violence would not only have to disclose the abuse (that they may have taken 20 years to find the courage to see a counsellor about) but they would ALSO need to provide sufficient information to enable the psychologist to give a psychiatric diagnosis from the American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSMIV) AND provide a 'clear causal link' between the sexual violence and the effects now.
In the first one or two sessions the survivor will also be required to sign release forms so that all of her or his medical records and employment records could be collected.
A cynic may conclude that ACC could review these records and find alternative explanations for the current effects (eg if the survivor of abuse is suffering depression that the survivor said was related to a rape or child sexual abuse years earlier - it would be easy for ACC to point to other issues in the survivor's life such as current relationship difficulties or job stress that could be the cause of the current depression).
A recent example may be found in an article reported by the Taranaki Daily News last week about a letter from ACC to a grandmother whose grandsons had been sexually abused, declining cover. The letter stated ACC "found no clinically significant mental injury arising from the events described". The newspaper went on to state: "An ACC psychologist believes one of the boy's mood swings, tearfulness and sitting alone sucking his thumb could be due to settling into school and a new environment rather than the sexual abuse events". According to the newspaper the letter from ACC stated: "The best practice may be not to treat this child for sexual abuse unless further problems which were clearly related to the abuse later became evident".
The requirement of 1) a person's symptoms fitting the criteria of a psychiatric diagnosis and 2) being able to 'prove' a clear causal link between the abuse and the current effects on a person's life, will mean that it will be almost impossible for survivors of sexual violence to have any ACC subsidized therapy allocated.
In the Auckland area alone in the last 9 months over 470 survivors of sexual violence have had their claims for counselling declined. There are more than a 100 waiting for approval.
There are endless cases of survivors of sexual violence around the country waiting 2-4 months for psychiatric assessments so that ACC can decide whether it believes they are entitled to counselling support.
As I was about to send this Press Release out I received an email from a colleague stating:
"I have just seen a client who told me that her friend has decided not to proceed with filing a claim for counselling, as she received a letter from ACC Sensitive Claims telling her that she'd get 4 sessions with the counsellor to write the report and then she'd have to see someone else to determine whether that counsellor is the best person for her to have counselling with. She'd already completed 3 sessions with the counsellor and just can't face the idea of having to see anyone else. It has taken her YEARS to work up the courage to talk to anyone about her history of abuse.
It seems that the new pathways are already being implemented, despite the start date being deferred".
To keep some survivors of sexual abuse alive it is vital that they are able to access specialist counselling support when they need it and to know that this support it is available to them for as long as they need.
The government needs to take all necessary steps to make sure that survivors of sexual violence get this support.
In recent months since the shock announcement by ACC to counsellors who work with survivors of sexual violence there has been a huge amount of professional outrage, letters to Ministers and a petition with over 3000 signatures calling for ACC to stop its Clinical Pathway.
I have been a therapist registered with ACC since 1986. I wrote the first set of ACC therapy guidelines for therapists working with survivors of child sexual abuse published in 2001.
If this Pathway is implemented I and many other therapists particularly Maori therapists have said they will resign as ACC registered therapists. We will not put our clients through this cruel assessment process.
All we ask is that ACC stop the implementation of this pathway and work with the professionals who work with survivors of sexual violence to sort out what ever it is that ACC is trying to fix.
We want to work 'with' ACC to find a solution but we do not know why ACC is changing the current system with such haste and without the experts' help to ensure that any changes to the current clinical pathway is safe.
I and many of my colleagues believe that the proposed ACC Clinical Pathway is unethical and many professionals and survivors believe that lives will be lost because of it.

http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/blood-acc039s-hands/5/27048

Nicholas: ACC Sensitive Claims Unit Insensitive To Survivors

An article from Voxy

Louise Nicholas, Survivor Advocate for Rape Prevention Education, is absolutely disgusted with ACC Sensitive Claim Unit's (SCU) proposed changes that will make it harder for survivors of rape and sexual abuse to access therapy.
Currently survivors have 4 sessions with a counsellor to disclose their abuse experiences before their claim is assessed for ongoing therapy. Often survivors will choose to have ongoing therapy with the counsellor that they have already built a relationship with.
The new Clinical Pathway which is proposed to come into effect 14th September 2009, will make the survivor tell their "story" three times to three different professionals and they can be declined help at any stage in this process; they have to 'prove' they have a mental injury which fits the criteria for a psychiatric problem.
A person who has been affected by rape or sexual abuse can take many years to disclose their trauma.
Finding someone who they can trust to disclose to is often a major issue as there are many barriers that need to be dealt with before they even get to the stage of being able to talk about the actual abuse incident.
Many survivors, especially children, are threatened by the perpetrator with loss of their lives or whanau and friends lives if they tell, or "no-one will believe you if you tell, you will be called a liar".
The importance of being able to heal and move on with your life often literally lies in the hands of the counsellor that you have come to trust.
I am shocked to see that ACC state that "shorter term therapy is more beneficial for clients than longer term therapy".
Many survivors, including myself, speak about the difficulty in being able to open up and talk about their experiences which needs to be at their own pace and with someone they trust which is vital in their healing process.
The ACC Draft Clinical Pathways Provider Workshop that I attended in Auckland this month, was not about seeking "better services" for survivors; in my opinion it was obviously about cutting costs.
I viewed it as taking vital resources away from counsellors and specialist service providers and putting them into the costs of assessments by clinical psychologists.
In 2004/2005 I had to give up my full time employment due to the stress of the Police investigation into the rapes I endured by members of the NZ Police. I wanted to return to ACC subsidised counselling and seek an increase to my Independence Allowance (of $7.00 per week) from ACC. To have this happen I was offered a return flight to Auckland and a couple of hours with a psychologist who would determine whether or not I had a mental injury. ACC were prepared to pay $3,000.00 for this assessment. I had to decline the assessment as the ACC reviewing psychologist would be required to use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSMIV) to diagnose a mental injury. Once I was labelled with a DSMIV (psychiatric) diagnosis defence counsel could use this diagnosis against me in court.
Rape and sexual abuse is a crime that is committed upon a person by another person deliberately causing harm. It is not like a self inflicted recreational or sporting injury.
The effect of this new Clinical Pathway is likely to be detrimental to not only survivors of rape and sexual abuse but also to agencies, mental health services and other specialist service providers who will have to take on many more survivors who are likely to be declined for subsidised counselling through ACC.
These agencies are also likely to be weighed down by the extra workloads that will inevitably see even more specialist services crumble under the weight of inadequate funding and resources.
I ask that ACC not proceed with the new Clinical Pathways on the 14th September and that ACC truly consult with the counsellors who work on a day to day basis with survivors of sexual violence - not those ACC paid professionals who are removed from the day to day realities that survivors face when trying to access the services they need to keep themselves alive and functioning in the world.
If any survivors would like to contact me about this issue my email address is louise@rapecrisis.org.nz
I am about to begin a tour of the country in the next few months visiting most of the agencies (depending on how far my travel budget can stretch) that work to support survivors of sexual violence. I would like to hear from survivors and those who work with them about the supports you need in your area. I look forward to hearing from agencies and survivors that would like me to visit them.

http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/nicholas-acc-sensitive-claims-unit-insensitive-survivors/5/21767