Award opens door for therapist
BY JANIE SMITH
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Adolescent girls and young women who have sexually abused others will be able to get the help they need thanks to a special grant.
Counsellor Victoria Lendich recently received a World of Difference award from the Vodafone New Zealand Foundation that will allow her to work fulltime for a year on a treatment programme specifically for adolescent girls and young women aged between 12 and 24.
Ms Lendich works as a therapist in the youth team at the Safe Network, the country’s largest community-based professional treatment programme for adolescent boys and men with problem sexual behaviour.
She is based at the central Auckland centre which has started the Sapphire Programme for girls and women but she wants to make it more comprehensive and refined during her year-long project, which starts in February.
The award will pay her salary for a year and she plans to travel around the country and overseas to see what other programmes are running successfully and talk to those in the field.
Ms Lendich applied for the award and had to go through a rigorous process, including interviews and answering in-depth questions about the project.
"I was so excited that out of so many applications mine was chosen. The award will allow me to pursue opportunities that will make a real difference to the field. Through the process you have to think really clearly about what you want to achieve over the 12 months."
International statistics estimate that females commit 10 percent of sexual abuse offences against girls aged up to 16 and between 10 and 20 percent of offences against boys in the same age group.
Ms Lendich worked at the Auckland Sexual Abuse Help Foundation for five years where she helped with adolescent girls who were survivors of sexual abuse.
She says her previous role helps her current work by giving her a good grasp of the impact sexual abuse has on families and the community.
It’s not unusual for girls and young women being referred to Safe to have significant victimisation histories themselves, she says.
While doing her year-long project, she will also undertake research for her honours degree in psychology and will include the research in her compiled information, which will be implemented at Safe and offered to other treatment agencies around the country.
"I hope to be able to present the information back through training and workshops," she says.
Foundation board member Alison Sykora says the foundation works to support Kiwi youth and the selection panel looks for passionate people with projects that will make a difference.
"Victoria understands her subject and works for a very well respected organisation. This could be an important piece of work.
"Ultimately, this could help prevent the abuse of children."
Anyone interested in knowing more about the project can contact Ms Lendich at victorial@safenz.org.
- © Fairfax NZ News
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