Columbia University Health Services

The Barnard Columbia Rape Crisis/Anti-Violence Support Center (RC/AVSC) provides services to survivors and to their supporters, women, and men. We educate, inform, and explain. We believe in the right of survivors to define their own needs and we are here to support survivors at various times and throughout their healing process. The women of the RC/AVSC are committed to having the volunteers, peer counselors, peer advocates, and staff at the Center reflect the diversity of our larger community with respect to ethnic and racial identity, cultural background, national origin, sexual orientation, and economic circumstances. We are here to support, acknowledge, and validate survivors and their differing perspectives around sexual violence. Our counseling services are provided by peers, not by professional therapist. Peer Counselors are trained and supervised by professional clinicians. We work together and rely on one another through the counseling process.

We see the RC/AVSC as a healing place whose focus, organization, and services will grow and expand with the needs, expectations and resources of our community.

We work for the day when we are not needed.

If you are a survivor of sexual assault and would like to talk to someone immediately, please contact a Peer Advocate by calling 212 854 WALK (24 hours a day/7 days a week) or 212 854 HELP (every night from 7-11pm during the academic year).