The Science-based Treatment, Accountability, and Risk Reduction for Sexual Assault (STARRSA) Active Psychoeducation (AP) program is designed to address sexual harm in a college student population. STARRSA AP identifies knowledge gaps related to risk factors and assists those who have engaged in sexual misconduct in developing beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that promote healthy, consensual, and safe intimate relationships and sexual behavior and educates those who may be interested in learning more about promoting healthy, consensual, and wellness-focused relationships.
Participants play an active and engaged role in their education instead of being passive listeners. Participants receive an individualized curriculum based on assessment and self-identified goals and values alongside a trained facilitator. Participants typically complete 8 to 20 one-on-one sessions focused on topics such as developing consent skills, healthy relationships, effective communication, sexual well-being, and risk and impact of sexual misconduct.
Student Testimony: “STARRSA has had a profound impact on my life. While it was incredibly daunting, and in a way, extremely terrifying to start, conquering that fear and starting the program was the best possible thing that could've happened to me at that point in my life. I've learned so much about communication, thoughts, feelings, and about myself. …Even though my time in the program is over, the lessons I learned are some that I will carry with me wherever I go for the rest of my life, and will continue to help me grow in more ways than I could ever imagine.”
Book Recommendations:
Sexual Citizens: Sex, Power, and Assault on Campus: Jennifer S. Hirsch and Shamus Khan
Sexual Citizens transforms how we understand and address sexual assault. Through intimate portraits of life and sex among today’s college students, Jennifer S. Hirsch and Shamus Khan present an entirely new way to understand sexual assault. Their insights transcending current debates about consent, predators in a “hunting ground,” or the dangers of hooking up.
Sexual Citizens reveals the social ecosystem that makes sexual assault a predictable element of life on a college campus. The powerful concepts of sexual projects, sexual citizenship, and sexual geographies, provide a new language for understanding the forces that shape young people’s sexual relationships. The result transforms our understanding of sexual assault and provides a new roadmap for how to address it.
Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture: Roxane Gay
In this valuable and revealing anthology, cultural critic and bestselling author Roxane Gay collects original and previously published pieces that address what it means to live in a world where women have to measure the harassment, violence, and aggression they face, and where they are “routinely second-guessed, blown off, discredited, denigrated, besmirched, belittled, patronized, mocked, shamed, gaslit, insulted, bullied” for speaking out. Contributions include essays from established and up-and-coming writers, performers, and critics, including actors Ally Sheedy and Gabrielle Union and writers Amy Jo Burns, Lyz Lenz, Claire Schwartz, and Bob Shacochis.
The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love: bell hooks
In The Will to Change, bell hooks gets to the heart of the matter and shows men how to express the emotions that are a fundamental part of who they are—whatever their age, marital status, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. But toxic masculinity punishes those fundamental emotions, and it’s so deeply ingrained in our society that it’s hard for men to not comply—but hooks wants to help change that.
Boys & Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent, and Navigating the New Masculinity: Peggy Orenstein
Drawing on comprehensive interviews with young men, psychologists, academics, and experts in the field, Boys & Sex dissects so-called locker room talk; how the word “hilarious” robs boys of empathy; pornography as the new sex education; boys’ understanding of hookup culture and consent; and their experience as both victims and perpetrators of sexual violence. By surfacing young men’s experience in all its complexity, Orenstein is able to unravel the hidden truths, hard lessons, and important realities of young male sexuality in today’s world. The result is a provocative and paradigm-shifting work that offers a much-needed vision of how boys can truly move forward as better men.
Contact: If you have any questions about STARRSA AP or would like to learn more about the program, please reach out to us at OSCR.STARRSA@umich.edu
If you are a graduate student in the MSW program or related program, or a professional staff member at the University of Michigan interested in facilitating STARRSA AP at the University, please contact OSCR.STARRSA@umich.edu stating your interest.
If you are part of a university or department interested in pursuing training in STARRSA, we encourage you to reach out to Klancy Street, LLC for a training consultation. You can contact them via their online contact form: https://klancystreet.com/contact-us/
Confidential Resources: If you would like to reach out to a confidential resource, please contact Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC), Michigan Men, Student Legal Services, Sexual Assault Services at University Health Services (USH) , University Ombuds, Wolverine Wellness, Spectrum Center, or SafeHouse Center (local resource).
Non-Confidential Resources: If you would like to reach out to a non-confidential resource, please contact CEW+, Dean of Students Office (DOS), Respondent Support Program, or University of Michigan Police Department Special Victims Unit (UMPD SVU).
