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OVC TTAC: FAQ's/Help
FAQ's/Help

What is SAASPT?

OVC's Sexual Assault Advocate and Service Provider Training (SAASPT) teaches advocates how to provide competent, effective crisis intervention services to victims and survivors of sexual assault. Originally taught onsite throughout the nation, OVC decided to make this popular course more widely available by putting it online so that rape crisis centers could train their own staff and volunteers. See About This Curriculum for more information.

Who is this curriculum for?

SAASPT is designed primarily for new advocates/counselors who are volunteers or staff at rape crisis centers and for seasoned veterans who may need a refresher course. Nurses, physicians, law enforcement officers, and professional counselors may also find it useful.

Who should teach this material?

Ideally, SAASPT trainers should have indepth knowledge of sexual assault advocacy/counseling, practical experience as a sexual assault advocate/counselor, and experience conducting training. If you are a subject matter expert but a novice trainer, practice each module before the training.

How can I get ready for the training?

Go to About This Curriculum, where you'll find information on your target audience, trainer requirements, and how to prepare for the training. A general rule: Familiarize yourself with all materials well before you hold your training event. Also, consider contacting your state sexual assault coalition to collaborate with professionals who are working with sexual assault victims and survivors.

What materials do I need?

Throughout the training, you'll need trainer's and participant's curriculum materials, PowerPoint visuals, all of which are available in the Presenter's Toolbox and on the individual Training Module pages. In addition, you'll need a laptop PC; a flip chart and easel; multicolored, thick, dark markers; name tags (for participants and trainer); and pens. Individual modules may call for additional equipment (see the introductory pages of each module's trainer's materials).

I can't open some of the files provided on the site. What should I do?

You may need to download or upgrade free software to get the most out of the downloadable files, from lecture materials to audiovisual files.

Visit the following site to download the free software:

Will the online SAASPT curriculum work on my computer?

We are dedicated to providing a quality service for our visitors. We have attempted to support the operating systems and tools used by the majority of visitors to our site. SAASPT has been tested on a wide variety of systems and tools, and works best with Windows or Macintosh.

Some visitors might experience difficulty when trying to access this site using other Internet browsers, operating systems, and devices (e.g., handheld computers, cell phones, personal digital assistants).

To upgrade your web browser, please visit one of the sites below and download the appropriate software for your hardware platform:

Who should I contact if I have questions about the material?

Contact OVC TTAC at 866-OVC-TTAC.

Where can I get additional information about sexual assault?

The following organizations all deal with sexual assault issues and are good starting points for additional information:

I'm interested in finding more downloadable curricula. Where should I look?

OVC has additional downloadable curricula and more training resources available.