Category: Services Spotlight

The 5 Components of Healthy Sexuality Education

By Angela Golden, STAR Community Education Director in Baton Rouge We live in a world that tells us in order to promote, advertise and sell anything, we must use sex! We see sex in movies, television shows and on social media. It is portrayed as this amazing experience between people without any reference to sexual… Read More

See Something, Say Something: Mandatory Reporters and the Duty to Report

By: Morgan Lamandre, STAR Legal Director The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) is a federal law that requires states to adopt laws requiring certain individuals to report suspected instances of child abuse and neglect as a condition to receiving certain federal funding. Louisiana, like most states, have adopted laws to maintain compliance with… Read More

Our Evolving Response to Covid-19

By Racheal Hebert, LCSW, BACS, President & CEO   On March 16, 2020, STAR made the decision to close our offices throughout Louisiana and transition our staff to working from home. This process happened quickly and with intention to ensure that our staff and clients remained as safe as possible during the emerging public health… Read More

Supporting LGBTQIA+ Survivors During Pride and Beyond

by Kourtney Baker, STAR Volunteer June is Pride month where we celebrate and honor lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, and asexual individuals. Pride occurs in the U.S. to commemorate the historic Stonewall uprising, which occurred in June of 1969. Since the uprising, we recognize the continued progress towards ensuring the dignity and equality of… Read More

STAR Releases a New Resource: Safety Planning Guide for Survivors

By Morgan Lamandre, Legal Director Sexual assault can compromise a survivor’s physical and emotional safety. In order to help survivors address their physical and emotional safety after a sexual assault, advocates typically conduct “safety plans” with survivors to reduce risk of further harm. A safety plan is a personalized, practical plan that is meant to… Read More

STAR Releases 2019 Legislative Scorecard

Today, Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response (STAR) released its 2nd annual Legislative Scorecard highlighting the leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to improving laws and policies to better support and protect survivors of sexual trauma and end sexual violence in Louisiana. According to Morgan Lamandre, STAR’s Legal Director, “The purpose of the scorecard is to… Read More

Speaking the Truth Out Loud

By Rebecca Marchiafava, MPP STAR Vice President “Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.” – Brene Brown In the work that we do at STAR, we witness survivors’ stories. We hear about their pain, trauma, triumph, hope, and healing. Because of the privacy and… Read More

#ThanksForGiving Social Media Posts Thanks STAR Staff

Happy holidays from STAR! We’re thankful for our supporters. It is because of all the staff, volunteers, and allies that STAR is able to serve survivors of sexual trauma. During Thanksgiving we put a spotlight on a staff member from each of STAR’s programs to show our gratitude and highlight their work in the community.… Read More

In Mixed Company: Surviving Beyond Gender

Written by Dana Rock, LMSW, Jordan Gonzales, PLPC, NCC, and Sarah Baniahmad Many people see sexual assault as a women’s issue. When men are included in the conversation, it normally centers on what they can do to protect or support women. With 1 in 5 women being raped in their lifetime, it is easy to… Read More