Connect With Survivors
Are you a survivor of Adult Clergy Sexual Abuse?
It all comes down to Fiduciary Duty. Let’s start by defining it:
Fiduciary is defined by the American Psychological Association as “describing a relationship in which one person holds a position of trust in relation to another and is required to apply his or her skill and effort in the best interests of that other.”
Did the person who abused you access you via their trusted position as your pastor, church elder, counselor, seminary professor or other spiritual leader etc?
Was the person who abused you obligated by their position, church, code of ethics or faith to apply their knowledge (biblical, spiritual or otherwise) and use it in your best interest to help you and not harm you?
Were you an adult (the age of majority in your state, province or country) when the abuse happened?
If you answered yes to all the above, then you are an ACSA survivor.
If the above does not fit with your story, we will do our best to recommend a more appropriate organization to support you in your recovery. Please let us know.
Are you ready to join our ACSA survivor community? Here’s what you can expect once you’ve submitted an email requst:
When you contact us, your message can be as simple as, “I’d like to join RVC.” Your email will be received by either Lori or Kelly, or Chellee, our intake coordinators. They are survivors and will understand what you’ve been through.
Please note that we are a small, survivor-led organization and so it may take up to 3 days for someone to return your email. Once they do, they’ll want to get to know you a little bit through a live conversation. The purpose of this is so that we can support you, and also to ensure the safety of our group.
If at any time you choose to share the name of the person who abused you, like everything that you share, it will be kept confidential.
At RVC we are survivors who can understand what you are going through but we are not mental health or medical professionals. If you have not already done so, we strongly advise that you seek out a licensed therapist who is trauma and abuse informed.
**RVC will report any disclosure of child abuse to the appropriate authorities.
We value your safety and will honour your privacy:
ACSA and the betrayal that accompanies it, likely has you wary of trusting again. It makes sense to us that you might struggle as you decide whether to contact us and become a member of our community.
Since we are survivors, just like you, we understand this and want to assure you that we respect the privacy of our members and treat their information in the strictest of confidence.
As a result, we’ve put into place the below practices to ensure that our members feel safe when interacting in our community:
When you join RVC, only our intake coordinators and our three directors (all ACSA survivors) will have access to your information.
Joining our private Facebook group is an option included in membership, but it is not mandatory. However, if you want to join but prefer to maintain some anonymity, you are free to join using a private account designed specifically for that purpose. Our intake coordinators can help with this.
You’ll also be invited to our regular Zoom meetings, where you can meet other survivors. You’re welcome to share or not share, and you can keep your camera and mic on or off. It’s up to you!
When you attend Zoom meetings - you may choose to use a pseudonym, share or not share, and you can keep your camera and mic on or off. It’s up to you!
We’re ready to meet you!
Or email us at connect@restoredvoicescollective.com
**If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please contact the national suicide hotline in your country or visit your nearest hospital emergency room. Although we are survivors who understand what you are going through, we are not mental health or medical professionals.
“Healing in community with other survivors has been invaluable to me. I feel like I’m understanding my story in new and deeper ways. ”