Sexual Assault Response Team Advocate Training

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The Morris County Sexual Assault Center at Morristown Medical Center (Atlantic Health System) is seeking volunteer advocates for our Sexual Assault Response Team (SART).

This is a very flexible volunteer opportunity that is based around your own schedule! Support for survivors is provided via a 24-hour crisis hotline, which will be forwarded to the advocates phone. No call center work is required. During these hotline shifts, the advocate must also be available to accompany survivors of sexual assault in person at Morris County hospitals, police stations, or court if requested. After the training is complete, volunteer advocates are required to provide a minimum of 48 hours per month of hotline coverage for a period of one year. Volunteers are required to live within an hour of Morristown, New Jersey.

Volunteers must complete a 40-hour Confidential Sexual Violence Victim Advocate (CSVA) training to become certified as a CSVA in the state of New Jersey. The next training is slated to take place in Summer 2025. This is a Hybrid training (part virtual, part in person) with 10 3-hour synchronous sessions that are completed over the course of 5-10 weeks.

During this comprehensive 40-hour training, volunteers are educated about all topics relating to sexual violence: trauma, sexual assault prevention, legal issues, and crisis response. Crisis intervention and advocacy skills are taught so that advocates can provide support and resources to survivors of sexual violence. Guest speakers including law enforcement, subject matter experts, and mental health professionals will present information on topics such as domestic violence, child sexual abuse, forensic examinations and the legal process.

Although this is a challenging volunteer position, the experience is very rewarding (and looks great on a resume)! Join our SART team and be on the frontline supporting sexual assault survivors!