Together unit : listening, support, information, guidance and prevention

Together in a few words

Together is a team specialised in dealing with situations of discrimination, sexist and sexual violence and harassment based on a discrimination criteria.

It is managed by a team of two psychologists and a prevention officer.

We are open to anyone at UCLouvain, whether a student, doctoral student or member of staff, and whether they are a victim, witness, line manager or accused of violence.

The members of the Together unit intervene in complete confidentiality and act independently of the UCLouvain authorities.

Alison Cigna (together@uclouvain.be)
I joined the Together Unit in April 2024 as a trust person specialising in dealing with gendre-based, sexual and discriminatory violence. Before that, I've worked for the Brussels Police in the field of well-being at work wher Ideveloped a passion for crisis intervention and trauma. I am also a Red Cross volunteer in emergency and crisis intervention and I run my practice in Evere part-time.

I can see you on Mondays and Wednesdays (face-to-face) and Thursdays (via Teams).

Laurine Gauthier (together@uclouvain.be)
I joined the Together team in April 2024 as a trust person specializing in gender-based, sexual and discriminatory violence at UCLouvain. I've trained as a clinical psychologist and have worked for 16 years providing psychological support to victims and perpetrators. Since 2014, I have also been supervising psychology trainees in the Faculty of Psychology at UCLouvain. This dual role has enabled me to develop a clinical approach focused on the needs of the individual, whatever the situation.

I can see you on Tuesdays and Thursdays (face-to-face) and on Friday mornings (via Teams).

Our mission

Listening

We offer an initial empathetic ear in complete confidentiality and psychosocial support to help you put into words and give meaning to your experience.

Ex: Welcoming a victim, guiding someone who has been told what has happened, advising a superior, guiding a teacher who has heard about situations of sexual violence, allowing a person who has been implicated to speak out, etc.

Support

If you so wish, we will support and guide you in your thinking and your actions, whatever they may be. Our role is also to help you activate your resources and take the decisions that are right for you, whether by turning to your loved ones, finding the words and helping you better understand what is happening to you.

Ex: Enabling a rape victim to name the facts and not minimize her experience, enabling an indirect witness who has been told about violence to know how to react, supporting a hierarchy superior in their questioning, etc.

Informing

Helping you to understand a range of information and sources so that you can make the right decisions knowing what they entail is also our mission. We can inform you about external and/or internal resources.

Ex: Legal information and advice, explaining what a CPVS is, helping you find a lawyer, explaining what an informal*/formal procedure is, redirecting you to the CPAP, helping you draw up a disciplinary complaint to the VRAE, helping you with a disciplinary procedure at the VRPP, informing a member of the hierarchy about their obligations and compliance with the Welfare Act, etc.

Providing guidance

One of our missions is to make it easier for you to access clear information on existing internal and external relays.

Ex: We can refer you to front-line psychologists trained in sexual and sexist violence, refer you to the existing network of associations, help to organize awareness-raising sessions within departments, redirect a person who has been accused to the services that can help them, etc.

Prevention

As well as providing support, we also work actively on prevention, awareness-raising and training for everyone at UCLouvain with our key partners (members of staff, students, the team in charge of gender policy, associations, etc.) and the authorities.

Ex: Participation in back-to-school week to explain what we do, participation in working groups to adapt the Regulations following the Tulkens report, participation in the VSS Commission, participation in the creation of training courses and brochures, etc.

^{*Mediation and conciliation can never be an option for people who have suffered sexual or gender-based violence (sexual assault, rape, sexual harassment) because it is neither humanly nor legally possible to offer any form of conflict resolution to victims of this type of violence.}

Our approach

Together is a space where you can express yourself.

Whatever your experiences, you will be welcomed in a supportive and non-judgemental way. The meeting will be conducted at your own pace and according to your needs. At the end of an appointment, you may wish to leave it at that and not take any further steps, which is perfectly valid.

You can call on the unit even if...

• You have questions about the issue of gender-based and sexual violence;
• You feel that your problems are "too small", "not serious enough" or "that there are much worse things";
• You have already taken steps on your own;
• You had initially decided not to do anything after the incident, but now you would like to have some light shed on your situation;
• The situation took place some time ago.