Sexual Assault Services

Core Services

24-hour helpline: A 24/7 helpline to provide immediate crisis intervention.  A trained advocate will answer to assist your needs.  All calls are confidential with non-judgmental support. 904-284-0061

Crisis Intervention: A prompt response by a trained advocate, which provides education of trauma and how to strengthen coping skills, through services that are available at Quigley House and in the community

Information and Referrals: The trained advocate will respond promptly and will provide information and referrals if necessary.  Information about resources in the community, emergency shelter, court accompaniment, and victim’s compensation is available.

Advocate or Accompaniment: The advocate or accompaniment is the individual help to the survivor for legal or medical needs: ongoing support for a forensic exam, including during the exam, law enforcement interviews, and the criminal justice system, and any questions or the survivor may have.

Community Awareness: In order to serve our community with knowledge of Quigley House services and the dynamics of sexual assault, we participate in Clay County events, such as health fairs, local festivals, and such.  We also provide individual group presentations for churches, businesses, schools, and more. Our goal is to help each Clay County member receive information on sexual assault prevention and response.

System Coordination: Quigley House will provide system coordination for the survivors, by establishing a relationship with other agencies to best support survivors. 

Enhanced Services Support groups/Personal Growth Groups: Quigley House provides supportive services through support groups and self-awareness.  The groups will have education, coping skills, understanding, mindfulness, how to create a stable system and significantly more.

Therapy: Quigley House provides an empowerment base and trauma-informed therapy.  We provide one on one counseling sessions on what to expect emotionally, physically, behaviorally, and coping strategies.  Secondary victims of sexual assault are encouraged to attend therapy for supportive talk, emotional support, and to better understand dynamics of power and control based violence. 

Prevention/Risk Reduction Education: Advocates of Quigley House will provide education on prevention and risk reduction of sexual violence through social change.  We understand that this can be troublesome.  However, it needs to be visited.  Quigley House provides free presentation and programs to schools and local organizations.

Medical Intervention/Forensic Evidence Collection: The on-call advocates are available 24/7 for survivors 18-years-of-age or older who need therapeutic mediation and forensic evidence collection.  Examinations will be administered in a place and fashion that protects the survivor from re-victimization and follow the Attorney General’s Protocol through the chain of custody rules. 

How to help a friend

What to say - Being supportive and accepting is critical.

You can say:  

• I believe you                       

• I’m sorry this happened to you                       

• It is not your fault                       

• Thank you for telling me.

Common reactions

There is not one way for a survivor of sexual assault to react.  The survivor may feel confusion and anger, guilt and self-blame, lack of trust, embarrassment, isolation, nightmares, anxiety and many other forms of emotional reactions.

Support their choices You can help your friend or family member locate different community resources by calling our helpline.  Follow the survivor’s lead and respect their decisions.  Do not pressure them into a choice they are uncomfortable with.  Some survivors are not prepared to talk with law enforcement, hospitals, or a rape crisis center and this is okay.  The survivor needs to have the power to control their recovery. 

All services for men, women and children, are free and confidential.  The sexual assault does not have to be reported to qualify for services.

Recommended Reading by our Director of Sexual Assault

“The Body keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma” - by Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD