Research Projects at Tamara's House
Women's Narratives of Healing from the Effects of Child Sexual Abuse
A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research by Karen WoodThe health of women is compromised by the experience of sexual abuse in childhood. Women who have been sexually abused in childhood say they are `healing', but there is little literature on this healing process. The purpose of my research is to gather stories of healing from women who were sexually abused in childhood, analyze them, and learn about healing. The themes that emerged were integrated with a chronological restorying of the women's narratives and the literature, resulting in a model of healing that addresses the complexities of women's lives.
Women's Narratives of Healing from the Effects of Child Sexual AbuseIn 1999 - 2000, Health Canada, through the Health Transition Fund, funded a research project to determine the impact of complementary care practices on healing from child sexual abuse (CSA). In addition to the findings from this research, many women benefited from participating in the project, and the project contributed significantly to the growth of Tamara's House.
The ACTS (Action and Change Team by and for Survivors) project, funded by the Status of Women Canada's Women's Program in 1999, grew out of conversations with survivors of child sexual abuse regarding challenges they faced in seeking employment, accessing job training, obtaining income support for education programs, and qualifying for the financial support they needed while in the healing process. Over eight years (1999-2007), funding was provided to carry out four distinct phases of the ACTS project: 1) Employment Conditions; 2) Social Services; 3) Health Care; and 4) Education. In 2006, the final phase of the project Looking Back and Moving Forward: Impact Assessment of Systemic & Institutional Change Connected to the ACTS Project at Tamara's House, summarized the previous phases, explored the impact of ACTS, and provided recommendations for future directions, including institutional change, training for service providers, policy development, and resources for survivors of child sexual abuse.
The Participatory Action Research project, funded by the Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence to determine the cost of health services used by survivors of child sexual abuse in Saskatoon, was completed in 2003, providing a necessary link to local direct medical costs of CSA on the health system.
That same year, the Indigenous Peoples' Health Research Centre (IPHRC), a partnership between the University of Regina, First Nations University of Canada and the University of Saskatchewan, funded a project out of Tamara's House to investigate the needs of Aboriginal women in healing from residential school abuses and child sexual abuse, and to determine the effectiveness of Tamara’s House in meeting those needs.
In 2004, Tamara's House received funding from the National Network on Environments and Women's Health (NNEWH) to explore the infant feeding experiences of women who were sexually abused in childhood. Since then, presentations have been given on the findings to researchers, community members, and practitioners in nursing and medicine. Two pamphlets have been published and distributed, one for those who are supporting women who were sexually abused as children and who are hoping to, or who are currently, breastfeeding; and one for the women themselves who were sexually abused as children and who are who are hoping to, or who are currently, breastfeeding.
Infant Feeding for Women Who Were Sexually Abused in Childhood
Assisting Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA) through Breastfeeding
In 2007, the CARE Grant Program of the PrairieAction Foundation provided funding to Tamara's House to evaluate the residence program. Findings from this project indicate that stays in the Tamara's House residence can have a tremendous impact on women's healing from CSA. It was found that, in addition to the programming provided in the residence, activities that made a difference included every day, routine activities such as preparing meals, assisting with daily chores, and sharing meals and stories with other residents and staff.
In addition to these research projects, and graduate students' research projects, Tamara's House is represented in Canada, through publications and participation as a community partner on research advisory groups (such as NNEWH and RESOLVE Saskatchewan). An article on feminist practice at Tamara's House is provided to graduate students in family therapy practice at Athabasca University, and an article has been submitted to a Canadian medical journal on the infant feeding experiences of women who have been sexually abused in childhood. An article is in preparation for submission on the healing needs of Aboriginal women who are healing from residential school abuses and child sexual abuse.
Pro Bono students Gillian and Shauna have completed drafts of a pamphlet on: 1) What To Do When Your Child Is In Care, and 2) Deciding To Report A Sexual Assault Or Sexual Abuse. Thank you Gillian and Shauna, and to the Pro Bono Society!
Brochures available for download:
What To Do When Your Child Is In Care
Reporting Sexual Assault
Other Research Projects
In 2006, "Finding Our Way Home" funded by Homelessness Initiative researched the extent of homelessness and the risk of homelessness in our target group.
In 2007, A grant was obtained that allowed Tamara's House to hire a researcher to look into aspects of spirituality as they relate to the staff, volunteers, and service users,
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