Workshop for Abuse Survivors in the Philly Area

Sexual abuse is a topic that many people, including victims, would rather not discuss. But discussion that leads to transcending the pain is beneficial in healing the emotional scars that haunt a person after an incident or series of incidents.

One of my good friends, award-winning journalist Sylvia Coleman, has been teaching a class in Philadelphia as part of Temple University's PASCEP Program for several years now. Her class, "From Victim to Victor," starts up again on Tuesday, the 23rd. (Sylvia is also author of a memoir on surviving victimhood, Creating a New Normal: Cleaning Up a Dysfunctional Life, and the founder of the national organization Black Sexual Abuse Survivors.)

The class is for adult African-Americans who have experienced trauma from past abuse, as well as people who want to help survivors of abuse. It is chock-full of holistic ideas for starting on the path toward healing. Class participants will be kept anonymous to each other; no children allowed.

The fee for the class is $20, though a discount or waiver may be available to seniors 65 and older and individuals who can provide proof of unemployment, according to the course catalog.

Late registration is available on Monday, Sept. 22nd through Thursday, Sept. 25, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in PASCEP headquarters, Temple University's Entertainment and Community Education Center, at 1509 Cecil B. Moore Ave., 2nd floor. If the class is not full, there may be an additional fee of $5 added to the class cost, according to the PASCEP catalog.

For more information, contact PASCEP at (215) 204-1993.