The Women's Center Library
The WC library has over 1,000 volumes of fiction and non-fiction work by women and men on a wide range of subjects, including career, diversity, spirituality, health, literature, psychology, media literacy, gay and lesbian issues, and many more.
Books are available for borrowing with your BC ID. Check our online catalog to see the complete collection, as well as the availability of volumes.
HEAL Support Group
HEAL is a confidential, weekly, support group for BC students who have been directly impacted聽 by sexual assault. This group is a collaboration between University Counseling Services and The聽 Women鈥檚 Center. HEAL aims to assist members achieve the following goals:
- Members will not feel alone in their experiences, feelings, and reactions聽
- Members will feel supported
- Members will gain a better understanding of the effects of sexual assault
- Members will be better able to cope with the effects of sexual assault
- Members will feel like they can support others聽鈭� Members will feel less anxious and afraid.
For more information, Claire Johnson Allen, LICSW at the Women鈥檚 Center.聽
HEAL FAQ
This is a support group for survivors of sexual violence. It is a space to 聽discuss and share with each other about the stressors experienced as a result of an assault(s). This 聽group is not a place to talk through the actual traumatic event and does not serve as a substitute 聽for individual therapy. It is a closed group, which means that once the group begins (usually a聽 few weeks into the fall and spring semesters) no additional new members can join until the聽 following semester. This is necessary in order to build trust and cohesion between group聽 members and so that the meetings feel predictable and safe. Students who have a desire to join聽 this group but are unable due to the group having already started should contact聽Claire Johnson Allen, LICSW at the Women鈥檚 Center (johnsovj@bc.edu) for information on聽 additional resources, workshops for survivors, and for placement on a contact list for those聽 interested in joining the following semester.聽
BC students (undergraduate or graduate, of all genders) who have been directly impacted聽 by sexual assault are welcomed to join this group. HEAL facilitators are BC staff members who聽 are either trained clinicians, or supervised by trained clinicians, from University Counseling聽 Services and The Women鈥檚 Center.聽
Contact Claire Johnson Allen, LICSW for fall 2022 schedule.聽
Location is confidential and provided to students who meet with a facilitator for a screening conversation and appear to be an appropriate fit for the group.
A screening is an essential part of forming a group. A one on one conversation with a group facilitator is needed in order to provide more detailed information about the group聽and to gather information to decide if the student would benefit from participation in this聽 particular group. This is determined together based on a conversation about the student鈥檚 goals,聽 willingness/ability to participate, and progress in their healing journey. Depending on where an聽 individual is in the timing of their healing process, a group such as HEAL can be helpful or聽 harmful. It is necessary for students to be at a stage in which their well-being will not be聽 jeopardized by the group experience.聽聽If you think this group might be a good fit for you and want to schedule a screening conversation聽 with one of our facilitators please contact University Counseling Services at 617-552-3310 and聽 request a 60 minute screening for HEAL.
Reasons Someone Might Be A Good Fit for HEAL
- You are looking for community
- You want to connect with other survivors
- You already have some coping skills in place but want more
- You can tolerate talking about the topics of sexual assault
- Dissociation and flashbacks are not primary presenting problems
- You want to get support and give support
- You feel alone in your healing process
Reasons Someone Might Not Be A Good Fit for HEAL
- You are wanting to process the actual traumatic event
- Sharing in this context may cause your symptoms to worsen
- Your experience with assault has been very recent and you may first need to build coping skills or connect with other resources before joining
- You are currently in crisis or suicidalYour are having difficulty managing symptoms such as dissociation or flashbacks which may interfere with the group process
- You are not looking for connection and community with other survivors
Additional Resources:聽
- University Counseling Services, Gasson 001, 617-552-3310聽
- SANet Hotline, 617-552-2211聽
- CARE Team walk in hours, Mon-Fri 3-4pm, Maloney 441聽
- Melinda Stoops, Title IX coordinator, Maloney 412, 617-552-3280聽
- The Women鈥檚 Center, Maloney 441, 617-552-3489聽
- BARCC, Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, 617-492-8306聽
- BARCC Hotline, 1-800-841-8371聽
- The Center for Trauma and Embodiment at JRI, 781-559-4900