Living as an advocate : a qualitative study on peer sexual violence advocates / Thomas Leroy Fritz.

This phenomenologically grounded qualitative study examined the lived experience of a student sexual violence advocate. Student advocates are utilized to operate crisis lines on college campuses for survivors of sexual assault, domestic abuse or other forms of sexual violence. This dissertation argues the lived experience of student sexual violence advocates is embodied, liminal and survivor focused. I interviewed 15 student advocates at a comprehensive university in the Midwest. Each advocate completed a minimum of two interactions with survivors. The lived experiences were portrayed as narratives, with six being deep narratives. Of the six narratives, three were from advocates interacting with strangers and three interacting with friends. After analysis, three essences were discovered. The lived experience of an advocate was embodied. The advocates had physical sensations matching the emotional stress of interacting with survivors. The lived experience was liminal. The advocates enter a space where they are not fully themselves but adopting a persona to provide better advocacy. Finally, the lived experience of an advocate was survivor focused. Throughout the entire interaction with survivors, the advocates continually expressed a desire to make the situation better for survivors. All actions from the advocate were designed to make the process better for the survivor. Areas for future research and implications for research and practice are identified.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (viewed on Sept. 9, 2021)