What is Community Consultation?

 

The Office of Prevention and Education at Northeastern’s (OPEN) recognizes that when sexual violence occurs, it often affects people beyond those who were directly harmed or accused. We provide confidential Community Consultation services for Northeastern students and employees looking to respond to incidents, support others, and/or discuss prevention strategies.

Is this service for me?

 

Some reasons why you may consider working with OPEN’s Community Consultation services may be:

  • Your friend or partner disclosed to you that they were sexually assaulted and you want to know how to better support them. 
  • You learn that someone in your friend group or student organization has been accused of sexual violence and you aren’t sure what to do. 
  • You are a student group leader who wants to take active steps to prevent sexual violence or create an anti-violent group culture, but you aren’t sure where to start. 
  • You are a faculty or staff-member receiving a disclosure from a student and you want to learn more about how to effectively offer support and or/resources.

 

If these examples don’t describe your situation, you can still request this service or you could explore OPEN’s other sexual violence services, such as our Sexual Violence Resource Center (for students seeking support around their own experience of sexual violence) or our Confidential Resource Advisors (for students who have been accused of causing sexual violence).

OPEN’s Sexual Violence Services (including Community Consultation) are available to students and Northeastern faculty/staff regardless of your location within the Global University System.

No matter was situation you are trying to navigate, OPEN is here to offer you resources and support.

Is this service confidential?

 

All OPEN staff members are considered Confidential Employees according to Northeastern University policy. This means that students who have concerns related to sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, or sexual harassment (Prohibited Offenses) can seek support without having their name or any identifying characteristics reported to the Title IX Coordinator or Office for University Equity and Compliance (OUEC). 

This means that any information disclosed during a Community Consultation meeting will not be reported to the Office for University Equity and Compliance (Title IX), the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution, or any other campus office. Exemptions to this include:

  • When they are given permission to share information by the person who disclosed it
  • When there is an imminent threat of harm to self or others;
  • When the conduct involves suspected abuse of a minor under the age of 18 or of an elder;
  • When otherwise required by law or court order.

Most faculty and staff are considered “Mandatory University Reporters” meaning that they are obligated to notify the Title IX Coordinator if they are made aware of an incident of sexual violence.

In addition to OPEN, staff at University Health & Counseling Services and spiritual advisors in the Center for Spirituality Dialogue are designated as confidential and do not have this reporting obligation.

How can I set up a meeting?

 

To set up a Community Consultation meeting, please fill out our service request form. You will need to log in with your Northeastern credentials to complete the form. Once it has been submitted, an OPEN staff member will follow up with you in 24-48 business hours.

You can email [email protected] with any additional questions about our services. OPEN staff monitor service request submissions and email Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM ET.

Community Consultation Resources

 

Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence

RESPOND is a guide OPEN created to help students respond in a trauma-informed way when someone shares that they have experienced sexual violence.

We have an online RESPOND Canvas module you can enroll in or you can download our RESPOND Reference Card.

Responding to Accusations of Sexual Violence

RESTORE is a strategy OPEN created to help students respond in a restorative-informed way to someone who has been accused of sexual violence.

You can download our RESTORE Strategy Card.