“Waiting for the cold to end”: Using photovoice as a narrative intervention for survivors of sexual assault.

Abstract

Sexual assault is a significant problem on college campuses, with growing public attention. The psychosocial ramifications of sexual assault for college survivors are significant and affect each person differently. Effective interventions that incorporate narrative techniques are instrumental for sexual assault recovery. Photovoice is a narrative method that encourages participants to make meaning of their experiences while integrating trauma into the larger context of their lives. This article highlights an exploratory study of the photovoice method as a narrative therapeutic technique for college sexual assault survivors. The photo-taking, dialoguing, and exhibiting process of photovoice empowered participants to take control over their story and their recovery, as well as to increase campus understanding of the posttraumatic impacts of sexual assault.

Therapeutic benefits and limitations of participatory photography for adults with mental health problems: A systematic search and literature review

“…Four studies reported that PP had empowered participants (Maniam, Kumaran, Ping‐Lee, Koh & Subramaniam, ; Reid & Alonso, ; Rolbiecki, Anderson, Teti & Albright, ; Sitvast ; Sitvast & Abma ; Sitvast, Abma, & Widdershoven, ). This section is divided into the two sub‐themes of personal empowerment and empowerment through exhibitions.…”

Healing is not linear: Using photography to describe the day‐to‐day healing journeys of undergraduate women survivors of sexual violence

“…Preliminary pilot studies have supported these proposed hypotheses and observations, and few have begun to test the ability of photography in promoting healing in similar populations. For example, one study looking at nine survivors of campus sexual assault found that through engaging with a PhotoVoice methodology, participants were able to expose themselves to triggers, facilitate meaning making, build relationships, and promote consciousness raising of the important issue of college sexual assault (Rolbiecki et al, ). These authors also found that PhotoVoice was an effective narrative intervention in their population, reducing study participants' posttraumatic stress symptomology while increasing posttraumatic growth and positive rape attributions (Rolbiecki et al, ).…”

“…For example, one study looking at nine survivors of campus sexual assault found that through engaging with a PhotoVoice methodology, participants were able to expose themselves to triggers, facilitate meaning making, build relationships, and promote consciousness raising of the important issue of college sexual assault (Rolbiecki et al, ). These authors also found that PhotoVoice was an effective narrative intervention in their population, reducing study participants' posttraumatic stress symptomology while increasing posttraumatic growth and positive rape attributions (Rolbiecki et al, ). Additional research is needed, however, to further explore and test this methodology in a larger sample to better understand its effectiveness as an intervention to promote healing in survivors of SV.…”

‘Seeing through their Eyes’: Towards Understanding Risk and Protection Perspectives of Young Bedouin Children in the Unrecognised Villages of the Naqab

“…By utilising photography and drawings as research tools and methodology suited to their cognitive, communicative, emotional and behavioural abilities (Huss et al, 2013;Rolbiecki, 2015), the children were capable of expressing themselves and generating essential data. The findings indicate that children were well aware of the myriad risks that might threaten their well-being.…”

“…The findings indicate that children were well aware of the myriad risks that might threaten their well-being. By utilising photography and drawings as research tools and methodology suited to their cognitive, communicative, emotional and behavioural abilities (Huss et al, 2013;Rolbiecki, 2015), the children were capable of expressing themselves and generating essential data. From the results, it appears that factors such as vehicles, people, locations, animals, natural phenomena and plants were simultaneously perceived as risk and protective factors, while a larger proportion was accorded to risk.…”