Resilience
Katie Kirshenbaum, LSW, is an experienced trauma therapist currently working at Resilience since August 2018, where roles have included Programs Assistant, Medical Advocacy Coordinator, and Children’s Medical and Legal Advocate. Previous experience includes serving as a Trauma Therapy Intern at Northwest Center Against Sexual Assault and working as a Permanent Supportive Housing Case Manager at Sarah's Circle. Katie has performed independent research at the College of Charleston, focusing on data analysis for a local rape crisis center, and has been involved with People Against Rape as a Sexual Assault Advocate. Educational qualifications include a Master's degree in Mental Health Concentration from Jane Addams College of Social Work at UIC and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology, International Studies, and Women's and Gender Studies from the College of Charleston.
Resilience
Resilience (formerly RVA) is an Illinois not-for-profit organization made up of many individuals with two primary goals: to assure that survivors of sexual assault are treated with dignity and compassion; and to affect changes in the way the legal system, medical institutions and society as a whole respond to survivors. Resilience focuses on both social service and social change. Through our presence in Chicago area emergency rooms, we provide nonjudgmental emotional support to victims of sexual violence, enabling them to become survivors. By providing basic legal and medical information, and referrals to other service organizations, we help the survivor make informed decisions. We also offer survivors continued support through telephone follow-up and our staff of counselors and legal advocates. Through these services, we enable survivors to regain control over their lives as quickly as possible. Through our work with the Chicago Police Department, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office and other area institutions, we strive to improve the treatment of survivors as a group in our society. Resilience offers three distinct program areas: Counseling (individual and group), Advocacy (legal and medical) and Education & Training.