The 1in6 Online Peer Support Group is open, free and has become a vital bridge between male sexual abuse victims and professionals who want to help to finally heal them.
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I received an email from a long-time 1in6 staff person this past Tuesday that simply said: ‘”t is truly a remarkable accomplishment we’ve achieved this evening.”
They were correct on a couple of fronts, and I could not be prouder.
The accomplishment was the launch of the new 1in6 Online Peer SupportGroup (PSG) that we have been working on for just about a year now.
What started as a dream, where we would be able to provide anonymous, safe, and therapeutically sound support groups to men in real-time, became a reality, when the LA-based Ahmanson Foundation seeded the idea earlier this year.
After securing seed money for development, and contracting with our partner RAINN to customize the software platform to meet our specific needs, we were off and running.
Mid-summer, we began training a group of four therapists and four “gate keepers”, who would be the lifeblood of the support group. The therapists, providing therapeutically-sound guidance, and the gatekeepers, ensuring the anonymity and safety of every participant, trained on the technology every other week for several months. Finally, we were ready to launch the program–the first of its kind to our knowledge–this past Tuesday, October 6th at 7:00 pm PT.
We didn’t know if any men would show up. If the innovative combination of therapist-led discussion and peer-to-peer chat would be manageable and effective.
After the session, I heard from the therapist and gatekeeper praising the courage, engagement and openness of the men who participated in the first 90-minute PSG. Rick (the therapist) had to scramble to keep up with the chatting/typing, there was so much activity going on.
I had to smile. It worked!
Men from across the country and perhaps around the world now had a safe place where they could meet in real time, anonymously, and with the guidance of a licensed professional, to discuss, maybe for the first time ever, what they may have wanted to discuss for so very long.
As I said above, the long-time 1in6 staff person was correct on a couple of fronts, one being their use of the word “we” when describing the involved effort of our vast team. In fact “we” includes so very many people, from our board members, who believe in pushing the envelope and encourage creativity, but always within a “safety first” context to the Ahmanson Foundation, who believed in the idea before we had completely fleshed it out, from our partners at RAINN (special thanks to Candice, Jeff, and Jen) to the unending commitment of the 1in6 staff, who will do whatever it takes to serve the countless men who make their way to our websites, presentations, trainings, awareness campaigns and now, Online Peer SupportGroups, especially Brian, Bryan, Colten, Martha, Meredith, Peter, Rick and Steve S.
A milestone moment for the movement, for 1in6, and most importantly, for the men who’ve joined us and the men who will make contact in the future.
Spread the word: The 1in6 Online PSG is open (and it’s free).
Sincerely,
Steve LePore
Steve LePore
Founder/Executive Director
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Photo credit: Getty Images
Steve, Like many men I believed that what happened to me was “not big deal” and not really abuse, and besides even if it was, it was something I had to work out myself. Being a therapist didn’t protect me from the shame or the difficulty talking about what happened or getting help. I’ve been a therapist now for more than 40 years and I’m still healing my own wounds and helping others. Thank you for your work and making these resources available to the millions of men who need it, for themselves, their partners, their children, and for all… Read more »