December 5, 2025
Dr. Nicole Johnson sheds light on the misconceptions, barriers and community-based solutions shaping a new era of survivor-centred healing.
Content Warning: This article includes discussion of sexual violence. Please take care while reading. If you need support, resources are available here.
Each December, Canadians observe the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. This day honours the fourteen women murdered in 1989 at École Polytechnique while renewing our collective commitment to ending gender-based violence.
Dr. Nicole Johnson, Associate Professor in UBC’s Faculty of Education, focuses her research on sexual and gender-based violence, survivor experiences, prevention and culturally grounded healing. Her latest research project, in partnership with the Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre, explores the barriers survivors can face when seeking support and seeks to co-create inclusive community-defined approaches to healing
What are some common misconceptions about sexual or gender-based violence?
Dr. Nicole Johnson: A persistent misconception is that sexual violence is often falsely reported. In reality, research shows that only 2–11% of reports are false, while fewer than 10% of survivors ever report at all. Public attention magnifies those rare false allegations and overlooks the far more urgent reality that most survivors never come forward.
Another common misconception is that sexual violence is typically committed by strangers or “monsters” lurking in the shadows. In fact, about 80% of survivors know the person who harmed them—often within intimate or familiar relationships. When we imagine perpetrators only as obvious villains, we become less willing to recognize that harm is most often caused by the ordinary people around us. And consequently, survivors are less likely to be believed.
Sexual violence is also often framed as affecting primarily white, heterosexual, cisgender women. Yet rates are significantly higher among racialized, queer, trans and bisexual communities. Nearly one in two trans people and 75% of bisexual women report experiencing sexual violence, but these groups are rarely centred in prevention efforts or public discourse.
“Centring the experiences of those who face the most significant obstacles exposes where current systems fall short and points to solutions that benefit everyone. When services are designed with those most impacted in mind, improvements “trickle up,” strengthening care for all.”
What obstacles prevent survivors from seeking support?
One of the biggest challenges survivors face is the fear of adverse reactions. Many worry—often justifiably—about being disbelieved, blamed, minimized or treated differently after disclosure. Compounding this is institutional betrayal: the harm that occurs when systems meant to protect us instead dismiss, question or further traumatize those seeking help. These harmful responses can make survivors feel unsafe to speak out, leading to lower rates of reporting and support-seeking and poorer mental health outcomes.
For survivors who are racialized, queer, trans, disabled or low-income, these challenges are intensified by inequity and discrimination. Many also worry that speaking out could reinforce harmful stereotypes about their communities, or they avoid institutions altogether because of previous negative experiences.
Logistical and practical obstacles also play a significant role: long waitlists, transportation and childcare challenges, language barriers, stigma within families or communities and immigration concerns can all limit access to timely, appropriate care.
How does identity shape access to care?
Many dominant therapeutic models were developed around white, cisgender, heterosexual women and assume their experiences apply universally. These one-size-fits-all approaches often fail to meet the needs of marginalized individuals whose lives are shaped by multiple systems of oppression.
These traditional models also tend to be highly individualistic, which can conflict with cultural contexts that emphasize collective well-being, relational decision-making and community responsibility.
Centring the experiences of those who face the most significant obstacles exposes where current systems fall short and points to solutions that benefit everyone. When services are designed with those most impacted in mind, improvements “trickle up,” strengthening care for all.
How can we respond supportively when someone discloses harm?
Survivors consistently say that the most meaningful responses are simple: listen without interrupting, believe them, and acknowledge and validate what they’ve shared. Phrases like “Thank you for telling me” or “I believe you” can make a significant difference, as can asking how you can help.
It is equally important to avoid minimizing the experience, making excuses for the person who caused harm, or trying to control or “fix” the situation. Even well-intentioned anger can shift the focus to your feelings rather than the survivor’s needs.
It’s also vital to avoid inadvertently placing blame on the survivor. Questions about substance use, clothing choices or continued contact with the person who harmed them can signal a belief that the survivor is partly responsible.
It’s important for survivors to seek support in ways that feel safe. Healing takes time and reliving the trauma can be painful, so be gentle with yourself. Learning from other survivors and exploring care options can help. Above all, please know that it’s not your fault, you deserve to be heard and support is available.
What can we learn from community-based healing models?
Longstanding Indigenous restorative justice practices and collective care models developed within queer communities in response to exclusion, exemplify approaches that shift our focus from one-on-one therapies and “fixing the individual” toward group-centred healing and the transformation of systems and environments that enable harm.
Approaches like these can include culturally grounded or ceremonial activities, somatic (body-focused) or spiritual practices, education on supportive responses, and training community members to build broader, sustained networks of care. They are also increasingly practical, given that waitlists for therapists can stretch for two years or more, and recidivism rates in our current Western justice system remain high.
How can we help break cycles of sexual violence?
We must engage cisgender boys and men, who are overwhelmingly the perpetrators of this harm and who are often discouraged from expressing pain or vulnerability in healthy ways that help them process anger. Early, ongoing conversations that build emotional literacy, teach consent, support help-seeking and foster accountability are essential.
Men also need to take leadership in this work—mentoring one another, modelling healthier vulnerability and challenging harmful norms within their peer networks. Without support for emotional regulation or community reinforcement, the conditions that enable violence are reproduced.
We can also challenge cultural norms that subtly make violence acceptable. Catcalling, coercive comments, unwanted touching and other boundary violations are often minimized. Naming these behaviours, addressing them early and modelling alternatives helps shift the environments where violence takes root.
What is your research project working toward?
Our project, Reimagining Healing: Survivor-Led Pathways Beyond the Trauma and Justice Lens, aims to transform how sexual-violence supports are designed and delivered by developing healing models that are accessible, culturally responsive and shaped by those with lived experience—especially people who face the greatest barriers to care.
We are partnering with the Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre to bring together marginalized survivors and frontline counsellors to explore what forms of healing feel relevant, why so many survivors cannot access the support they need, what decolonial and anti-oppressive approaches could look like, and how community-based models can address systemic and intergenerational harm.
Our long-term goal is to co-create a framework that Salal can implement—and that other organizations can adapt—to build more accessible, culture-centred systems of care, ultimately supporting a future in which effective healing supports are available for all and communities are better equipped to prevent harm before it occurs.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Need Support?
Experiencing or witnessing sexual violence can be overwhelming, but you’re not alone. Whether you want to talk to someone, explore reporting options or get help, these services are here to support you. If you’re in immediate danger, please call 911.
UBC Vancouver:
UBC Okanagan:
British Columbia
- VictimLink BC (24/7): 1-800-563-0808
- Crisis Centre BC: 310-6789
- Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre (24/7): 604-255-6344 or 1-877-392-7583
Canada-Wide
- 24/7 Sexual Assault Support Line: 1-833-900-1010
- Hope for Wellness Help Line (for Indigenous Peoples): 1-855-242-3310
- Kids Help Phone (youth): 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868
- Additional Government of Canada Resources
