Did you know… 43% of Albertans have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime. With such a staggering statistic, it’s no wonder community members voiced concerns around sexual violence and the need for supportive services in Strathcona County during engagement sessions held in 2021 and 2022 to inform the Strathcona County Community Safety and Well-being Strategy.  

Located in Sherwood Park, Saffron Centre is a non-profit charitable organization that supports the healing and mental health of individuals impacted by sexual violence and contributes to the safety of the community through preventative education. Saffron Centre provides support for anyone experiencing sexual violence of any kind and for their supporters, who may be caregivers, family, and/or friends. In addition to providing trauma-informed counselling services, Saffron Centre staff work with individuals who have experienced sexual violence through the reporting process and court procedures.  

Executive Director, Roxane Tiessen wants anyone who has experienced sexual violence to know, “it’s not your fault, we believe you, and you’re not alone.”  

Support services at Saffron Centre are provided for a wide range of ages, from anyone from four years old all the way to older adults and seniors. The Centre’s programs are responsive to the age, goals, and unique needs of each individual. Counselling supports for younger children, for example, are play-based with a focus on preventing future harm and activating healing systems. Older adults may seek support for recent abuse or to heal from historic abuse.  

Saffron is a safe and welcoming space for all, including people of all gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, races and ethnicities. Recognizing the unique needs of individuals, both the physical space and the programs at Saffron have been designed to foster inclusion. Staff regularly participate in training sessions to grow their diversity, equity and inclusion knowledge and to ensure they are equipped to meet the needs of marginalized groups. Understanding that cost may be a significant barrier to accessing services, Saffron Centre offers fees on a sliding scale.   

“We encourage anybody who has experienced any kind of sexual violence, child abuse, harassment, assault, if they’d like to get support as they heal, to call or send a message through our website, and we’ll help them on their healing journey,” shares Roxane Tiessen.   

An important staff member at Saffron Centre is Yukon, a beautiful black labrador whose official job title is Facility Support Dog and Good Girl. Yukon primarily works to support clients involved in the reporting and court process but also supports individuals in counselling sessions. Yukon’s role includes meeting new clients and helping them to feel comfortable, and laying on people’s laps to provide support while they are in counselling or other support sessions. Yukon is an integral part of the team at Saffron who are all intentional about creating a warm, supportive and inclusive environment.  

In addition to the one-on-one support they provide, Saffron Centre staff are in a unique position to notice trends impacting the community. For example, staff may notice an increase in the number of people in a particular age group seeking support, which could indicate increasing sexual violence impacting that group.  They may also notice indicators of a new risk, such as an increase in sexual harassment online. Saffron Centre staff can respond to these emerging needs quickly and develop new group counselling and educational programs to address the trends identified.  

A new program that is beginning soon to respond to a need in the community is a counselling program for children between 4 and 12 years of age who are demonstrating problematic sexual behaviours. As children navigate emotional and physical development, some children act out in ways that cause harm to themselves or others. Sometimes sexual behaviours are taking place because the child is seeking opportunities to release or process emotions, self-soothe, find attachment, attention, or love, or may not know that the behaviours are not okay. Because these behaviours may be harming the child or others, by addressing them this program will prevent future harm and bring hope and healing for families who are affected. 

A key component of prevention is education and one of the most frequently requested training sessions offered by Saffron Centre focuses on internet safety. This training supports community safety by teaching about the risks of sexual harassment enabled by technology, like social media, and how to support someone who shares an experience of sexual violence linked to online activity.   

At Saffron Centre, specialized and professional staff provide hope and support healing for those impacted by sexual violence. By developing and teaching preventative education programs they help make Strathcona County a safer place. Saffron Centre’s work is an important contribution to the CSWB Strategic Priorities, Mental Health and Safety.  

For more information about Saffron Centre please contact their team at 780-449-0900 or info@saffroncentre.com.