Transitioning Times

Looking at the Bright Side By: Susan Mathias, CEO For many years, victims have been stepping up and speaking about the abuse that they experienced as children.   In 2011, we read the gut-wrenching details of how Jerry Sandusky sexually abused his child victims.    The recent Grand Jury Report on sexual assault in the Catholic Church told us about the 300 priests who served in Pennsylvania’s dioceses.   100 priests served in our valley and there is no question about the lifelong harm that they caused their victims.   The victims named could not take action because the statute of limitations had expired.   The PA’s statute of limitations on sexual assault kept them from taking legal action because they did not come forward early enough.    On October 3, the Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings in which victims spoke to their Senators and described their experiences as children and the harm that abuse continues to cause them.  ...

Swipe Right for Safety By: Christiana Paradis, Program Coordinator for DOJ OVW Grant, VIP Center There are many ways that we can meet people and stay in touch through texting, Skype, Instagram, Snapchat and more! In the last few years we’ve seen changes in the ways that the internet has played a prominent role in dating practices. It’s a social norm to meet someone who has tried or is currently using a dating app. In fact, there are 40 million Americans using online dating sites—27% of that population is young adults (Pew Research Center, 2015). Dating app use on college campuses has grown and people are using dating apps for a variety of reasons. According to Tinder, 70% of college students have never met up with their matches and 45% say they use Tinder mostly for confidence boosting procrastination. In fact, 42% of Tinder users already have a partner (consensual open relationship: cool, cheating: not cool)! There are many positives and negatives to online dating. For som...

Transitions' is pleased to have one of our colleagues and partners, Christiana Paradis of Susquehanna University, weigh in on a subject that has been gracing many headlines (and making many waves!) recently -- the announcement of a tech-startup championing "DIY rape kits." Christiana, who oversees the Department of Justice grant at Susquehanna, as well as the VIP Center for victims services on campus, spoke up about the issue -- and why 'DIY' and 'rape' should never go hand in hand. About one month ago our University was contacted by the founder of the #MeTooKit, an organization promising to yield the “ first ever sexual assault kit for at home use with immediate DNA lab processing.” At first glance, this sounds great! Something that can privately be administered so a survivor doesn’t have to go to the hospital offering more choice and privacy?! Immediate DNA lab processing so as to avoid the rape kit backlog that we’ve heard so much about acros...

Transitions is committed to reducing trauma for children during divorce and separation of parents and we have seen how well the Child Access Center in Bellefonte works for families in Centre County. The Center has been a place for many safe custody exchanges and visitations over its seven years of operation, without incident. The Child Access Center in Bellefonte came about in response to the murder-suicide involving Benjamin Barone and his estranged wife, Jodi.    After a year of fights over custody of the couples’ 4-year old daughter, Benjamin lured Jodi to a Sheetz parking lot in what appears to be a planned custody exchange.   Through a Protection from Abuse Order that Jodi had obtained in Centre County, Benjamin was supposed to have relinquished his guns but he was able to get a gun and killed Jodi and then, killed himself.   CentreSafe, a sister agency of Transitions, recognized the need -- and we see a strong need, too. In our three counties -- U...

I hope that you are well. I had the privilege to speak at a special event on Saturday. It was a “Walk for No More” event which is part of a national campaign to end domestic violence and sexual assault. I have a strong relationship with “Transitions” in Lewisburg and I thank Susan Mathias and Heather Shnyder for asking me to speak at the event. I have always believed that everyone has a role in working to end domestic violence and sexual assault. I feel that events like this provide a means of education for all of us. We realize that it is an issue. Do we have the courage and conviction to take a stand to make a difference? I have always approached this topic with the teams that I have been privileged to coach. The head coaches I worked with were open about the fact that we all have a role in taking care of each other. It goes beyond what we all think of when we consider these issues. It is a matter of humans watching out for and taking care of other humans. In my upbringing my Fathe...

I wish there was a light switch that made it clear when you were "done" being a victim and begin your work as an advocate. Alas, for many individuals who have "been there, done that," part of our journey involves joining the helpers: Becoming advocates ourselves. If you look around the state -- even the nation -- at the local domestic violence, sexual assault and comprehensive crime centers -- a large chunk of staff will tell you that once upon a time, they may have been the ones that filled our shelter beds or counseling office chairs. It's true. For many survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and other crimes, one of the biggest steps in healing is the act of paying it forward: giving back to the organization(s) that helped them heal, and using their experience (and expertise!) to ensure that they can help others escape. At Transitions, when you ask around, almost every staff member -- even if they aren't personally former victims -- have a...