Teaching teens about right sort of love

An article from the Wanganui Chronicle by Lydia Anderson

Teenagers often look for love in all the wrong places, so a programme teaching them about healthy relationships has got to be good, a Wanganui counsellor says. ACC's new pilot, Mates & Dates, will teach secondary school students healthy relationship skills, as part of a three-year programme aimed at preventing sexual and dating violence.
And the West Auckland Roastbusters scandal, which involved teenage boys boasting online about having group sex with drunk, underage girls, had an effect on the programme being formulated "at pace". Wanganui counsellor Neil Pedley said if teenagers were not getting their emotional needs met at home they often turned to drastic measures, such as having inappropriate sexual encounters.
"You wouldn't believe what's out there in the way of incidents that occur among young people, it still amazes me.
"The common factor is they're looking for love in all the wrong places."
The programme could be beneficial if it created awareness that it was OK to have needs as long as teenagers tried to meet them in a healthy way, he said.
ACC sexual violence prevention programme manager Sandra Dickson said although the Roastbusters scandal was not the reason Mates & Dates was developed, it did prompt the organisation to "move at pace" and prioritise a school-based programme.
"We were already aware of the lack of a best practice, multi-year, nationally available school-based programme to help to prevent sexual and dating violence," she said.
"Roastbusters and other recent high profile incidents reinforced the urgent need for that gap to be filled."
Students involved in the pilot programme would be taught how to have relationships based on respect, negotiation and consent. It would also help them to identify inappropriate behaviour and show them how to get help.
Secondary Principals' Association president Tom Parsons said there was no "one size fits all" programme to suit all schools. However, if the programme was shown to work it could be worth rolling out nationally with adjustments made to suit each school's unique environment.
ACC Minister Judith Collins said the Mates & Dates pilot supported the Government's efforts to drive lasting change in young people's behaviours and attitudes by focusing on prevention.
"In 2012-13, ACC funded about $44 million for sensitive claims, all of which relate to sexual violence," she said.
Mates & Dates is based on research here and overseas that shows 15- to 24-year-olds are most at risk from violence by current and ex-partners. One in five female and one in 10 male secondary school students report unwanted sexual contact and, of these, 37 per cent describe the unwanted activity as severe, and 57 per cent tell no one. The nine secondary schools involving 2000 students in the pilot study are: Dargaville High School, Kelston Girls' College, Kelston Boys' High School, Papakura High School, Makoura College, Naenae College, Nelson College, Nelson College for Girls and Otago Boys' High School.

© 2014 APN New Zealand Limited

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/wanganui-chronicle/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503426&objectid=11297109

Stance softened on abuse victims

An article from the Wanganui Chronicle by Laurel Stowell

ACC has further softened its stance toward people who have been sexually abused, counsellor Fliss Newton says. She is one of just three ACC registered counsellors left in Wanganui. "They've made some changes, so that it's almost as good as it used to be," she said.
In October 2009, ACC changed its policy on "sensitive" claims, requiring clients to prove they had suffered "a diagnosed mental injury" before they got help. The result was long waiting lists, claims refusals and protests. In August last year, the policy was relaxed to allow new clients 16 hours' counselling while they were waiting to see if their claim was accepted.
Ms Newton said that for many, that was all the counselling they needed.
More changes have been announced this month. They follow an independent clinical review by a team that included former Mental Health Commissioner Dr Barbara Disley. The latest changes allow trained people rather than just psychologists to assess clients, and allow clients who have been assessed and had counselling to ask for another 16 sessions. They also let counsellors make less frequent and more open-ended reports on clients' progress, and give clients financial help and rehabilitation if they lose their jobs as a result of the abuse.
People whose claims were declined under the controversial October 2009 policy now have a chance to apply again. "They've made it a lot more user-friendly," Ms Newton said. But Ms Newton said there were still improvements to be made. "It can still take ages for people to get an assessment, and we are not sure how it will go for people who need really long-term counselling."

© APN News & Media Ltd 2011

http://www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/local/news/stance-softened-on-abuse-victims/3960923/

Counsellor welcomes ACC rethink on abuse

An article from the Wanganui Chronicle by Laurel Stowell

A partial back-track by ACC on treatment for people who have been sexually abused is a step towards a more compassionate system - but not a fix, Wanganui counsellor Fliss Newton says.
In September last year ACC moved to a new treatment pathway, requiring proof that people who had been raped or otherwise sexually abused had suffered a "mental injury" before it would pay for their counselling. Before that Ms Newton, an ACC accredited counsellor, saw about five people a week who had been sexually abused, and she had about two new inquiries a week.
Since then ACC has offered counselling to many fewer people. Ms Newton has been seeing one such client a week, and others doing similar work in the city have also had drastically reduced numbers.
Yesterday ACC announced it would offer 16 hours counselling to people who had been sexually abused while they were waiting to see if their claims would be accepted.
Ms Newton said the 16 hours would help to relieve their pain and anxiety as they waited, often for many months, unsure where else to get help. And for some, 16 hours' counselling would be all they needed. "In my 20 years of doing this work I have had two clients that have needed really long-term help. One went to over 100 hours, but 80 per cent would get through in 16 to 20 sessions."
She still didn't like the new treatment pathway. "However, this is a good stop gap, I suppose."
Te Tai Hauauru MP Tariana Turia also welcomed the decision to give people who have been sexually abused 16 hours' free counselling while their ACC claims were being dealt with. "Everyone who has experienced sexual abuse has a right to basic support regardless of whether or not their claims stack up to ACC's criteria for sensitive claims, so I am pleased to see that the corporation has realised this."
Current statistics showed approximately one in four New Zealand girls were sexually abused, and the rate was even higher for Maori women and those with disabilities.
Despite the prevalence of sexual abuse, it was still something that society failed to recognise as being a devastating influence on far too many New Zealanders, she said.

© APN News & Media Ltd 2010
http://www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/have-your-say/news/counsellor-welcomes-acc-rethink-on-abuse/3919218/