Meeting Guidelines

By attending an ASCA meeting, you agree to our guidelines, which are there to protect the safety of our meetings and interactions.

Do:

  • Show respect for each other and for the group

  • Stick only to supportive feedback.

  • Speak about your own feelings and experience and use “I” statements

  • Remain seated during the meeting, and avoid making noise which can be distracting to others.

  • When in doubt, tone down your comments or ask for clarification from the Co-Facilitators, and

  • Please observe the time limits allotted for your share

Don’t:

  • Don’t shout or use excessive profanity in the group

  • Don’t use “should” statements or give advice to the speaker

  • Don’t criticize, belittle, attack, or “tease” anyone in the group

  • Don’t try to psychoanalyze someone’s share and please

  • Don’t interrupt another speaker or have side conversations

In addition, we ask that you observe ASCA guidelines:

1) Arrive on time and remain until the conclusion of the meeting

2) ASCA meetings are exclusively for adult survivors of physical, sexual, or emotional childhood abuse. No observers please.

3) This is an anonymous meeting. Only first names are used.

4) What you hear today is told in confidence and should not be repeated outside this meeting.

5) We ask that no one attend our meeting under the influence of alcohol or drugs, unless the medication is prescribed by a physician.

6) ASCA meetings are not intended for survivors who are currently perpetrating abuse on others. Talking about your own acts of present OR past perpetrator type behavior is not permissible.

7) Language that is considered derogatory concerning race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or other minority status is unacceptable

8) This is a fragrance free meeting. Please don’t wear them.

9) While we acknowledge humor can have an important role in healing, we also recognize how open laughter might be experienced as uninvited feedback. Please use your discretion and judgment around this at all times, and for the benefit of all members we ask that verbal responses to a speaker be made only while offering supportive feedback.

10) There is an opportunity at the end of each meeting to offer ASCA related announcements pertaining specifically to this or other ASCA groups' business and policy agendas. We welcome you to share any other healing-related announcements, such as notifications of relevant films, books, articles, speakers, events, or other personal recommendations, during your individual share time.

11) By participating in ASCA meetings we all agree to abide by the spirit of ASCA, our guidelines and ground rules, as well as any interventions made by the co-facilitators