CONVO: Supporting Survivors of Sexual and Domestic Violence

Affirmative Consent is a Freely given, Reversible, Informed, Enthusiastic, and Specific "yes" to a certain activity or interaction. While we most often talk about it in sexual situations, affirmative consent is central to all kinds of interactions with others! When we decide to share a "yes" with someone, we deserve to feel safe and secure - no pressure, coercion, or guilt to be found. Join Aspen and Mo to learn and practice safe boundary-setting skills!

Many stalking and harassing behaviors are unfortunately often ignored, normalized and even romanticized on occasion. Why is that? Do you know the definition of stalking and harassment, and what protections there are for survivors to seek peace and safety?Join Mo and Aspen to set the record straight on stalking and harassment, and ultimately help put an end to these behaviors. 

Abusers often know that technology is a powerful tool to control another person, and for many survivors, simply “unplugging” in our tech-driven world isn’t possible. Join Mo and Aspen as they discuss ways that survivors can take steps to safeguard their privacy and take their power back online. Tech safety is for everyone, and everyone deserves #SafetyEverywhere!

There is often a lot of different language surrounding the topic of interpersonal violence and abuse; while it’s important to have more conversations about it, it’s equally important to understand the language we use, and how what we say can impact survivors. Join Mo and Aspen to define four commonly-used terms: lovebombing, gaslighting, grooming, and hoovering.

Coping is the combination of thoughts we have and the actions that we take to deal with difficult situations in our lives. We all cope with stress or trauma in different ways, and you may already be practicing some specific coping tools in your own life. Coping as a survivor can be complex. Join Mo and Aspen to understand the responses you may experience to trauma or stress, and to begin exploring more sustainable coping strategies that may work for you!

Navigating relationships at this age can feel very stressful, as this may be a time where you are likely newer to relationships. Emotions in general often feel much more intense during our teenage years as well, adding another layer of complexity to the healing journey. In fact, it can be harder to recognize and heal from abuse as our culture often invalidates the feelings of young survivors.If any of this resonates with you, join Aspen and Mo to learn strategies to understand and feel all of your feelings!

Triggers are situations or sensations that can remind us of a past traumatic event and bring about negative emotional reactions. Triggers are not just things that we disagree with, or that upset us—they are links to real trauma that can seriously affect the ways we’re able to cope in the present moment. How can we begin to identify triggers? Join Mo and Aspen to learn all about how they manifest in our brains and bodies, and how to navigate through them safely.

Entitlement is a characteristic that, when left unchecked, can lead to unhealthy and potentially abusive behavior within relationships. Join Mo and Aspen as they explore the root of abuse and discuss how survivors can begin to process, heal, and ultimately move forward within in their journeys.