EmpowerHer Sexual Violence Conference 2026

     Sexual violence impacts survivors not only physically and emotionally, but also spiritually, relationally, and culturally. For many African American survivors, healing is deeply intertwined with faith, spirituality, and culturally rooted meaning-making, yet these dimensions are often overlooked, misunderstood, or handled with caution in service settings. This session invites participants to explore how trauma-informed care can be expanded to include spiritual and cultural responsiveness while maintaining ethical boundaries, consent, and survivor autonomy.


     Building on a spiritual competency framework developed for service providers, this interactive 90-minute session will help participants examine how beliefs, values, and spiritual worldviews shape survivor experiences, coping, and healing. Participants will engage in guided self-reflection, small-group discussion, and case vignettes that highlight common clinical and advocacy dilemmas related to spirituality, power, and survivor safety. Emphasis will be placed on avoiding spiritual harm, recognizing spiritual resilience, and responding respectfully when survivors bring faith or spiritual language into the healing process.


     Through practical tools, discussion, and experiential learning, participants will strengthen their ability to support survivors as whole people, honoring dignity, cultural context, and choice. This session is designed for advocates, clinicians, educators, and service providers seeking to deepen their trauma-informed practice and ethically integrate spiritual awareness into survivor-centered care.