Mapping and Measuring the Mental Health Services Available to Survivors of Sexual Violence in NYC

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Mapping and Measuring the Mental Health Services
Available to Survivors of Sexual Violence in NYC

• Faculty Enrique Delamonica and Alberto
  Minujin
• Students Katia Araujo-Natt, Alexis Bourgeois,
  Vishal Greenaway, Louisa Lippi,
  Jessenia Pillasagua and Anna Williams
• Alliance Debi Fry and Tamara Pollak

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Alliances Research Question

• What is the availability of crisis and post
  crisis mental health intervention services for
  survivors of sexual violence in NYC?

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Goal of Class

• Students learn to use quantitative
  methodsincluding surveysto answer questions
  like the Alliances.

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Survey Design

• 59 question survey designed by the Alliance
  covering the following domains
• General program information
• Screening
• Specific counseling services
• Populations served
• Staffing
• Training needs
• Survey feedback (debrief)
• Survey could be completed by any staff member of
  the organization

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Sampling

• Sampling Universe created from 3 main sources
• NYS Office of Mental Health Licensed Outpatient
  programs, (removed child-only services)
• Current list of rape crisis programs in the
  Alliances resource guide,
• List of organizations receiving Crime Victims
  Board (CVB) funding
• Sampling universe consisted of 469 programs (some
  organizations have multiple programs)

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Sampling continued

• Sampling Method
• Convenience sample
• Students filled out information on which
  boroughs/neighborhoods they could travel to
  conduct interviews
• Each student given a list of 10 organizations
  from sampling universe.
• Each student conducted between 3-5 interviews
  from their list
• This method undersampled organizations that are
  further away from students location (Staten
  Island, Bronx and Queens)
• Sampled 25 organizations

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Key FindingsGeneral Program Information

• 24 of sampled programs consider themselves Rape
  Crisis Programs (based on definition)
• Accessibility
• 92 of programs in this sample are wheelchair
  accessible
• 16 of programs in this sample have TTD/TTY
  services available
• 52 of programs in this sample charge a fee for
  services
• 70 of programs in this sample can facilitate
  intake and answer general questions in a language
  other than English

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Key FindingsScreening

• More organizations screen for sexual violence
  than domestic violence
• Past vs. current victimization

orgs. that ask standard screening questions
about domestic violence vs about sexual violence
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Key FindingsScreening Questions

• If they answered yes to screening, survey
  participants were asked to provide their
  screening questions
• (see handouts)

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Key Findings SV Intervention Services

• 68 programs in this sample offering short term,
  individual, in-person rape crisis counseling,
• 84 programs in this sample offering long term
  individual psychotherapy
• 76 programs in this sample offering long term,
  group psychotherapy

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Populations ServedAdolescents

• Confidentiality
• Service providers lacked standard protocol
• Question seemed hostile to interviewee

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Populations ServedUndocumented Immigrants

• ALL of programs in this sample provide
  confidential counseling services to undocumented
  immigrants (except federal services)
• 70 (17 of 25) of programs in this sample provide
  crisis counseling in a language other than
  English
• Top four languages after English
• Spanish (80)
• French ( 24)
• Creole (16)
• Hindi (16)

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Populations Served

• Programs in this sample serve more women than men

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Key FindingsIn-house services
Services offered on-site at surveyed clinics
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Key Findings Additional training
Organizations interested in more training around
caring for survivors of sexual violence
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Debriefing the Survey

• Survey was very comprehensive
• Overall, the terminology was appropriate
• Linkages/referral between various service
  providers was important
• Need up-to-date and accurate information

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Scaling Up Full mapping of NYC services

• Launching a citywide survey will help improve
  services for victims of sexual violence by
• Creating a comprehensive resource guide
• Detecting gaps in services
• Assessing training needs for community mental
  health professionals

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Recommendations for Accomplishing Full Mapping of
NYC Services Budget Lines

• Use of Survey
• Extent of the survey coverage and method of
  survey will depend on resources
• - Face-to-face vs. on-line
• Budget Lines
• - Research Assistants to conduct survey, enter
  data and update resource guide accordingly
• - Travel expenses (Metrocards)
• - Printing
• - Bound copy of survey for interviewees

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Thank You!

• Questions?