Evidence-based

care for

sexual abuse injury

UNDERSTANDING SEXUAL ABUSE INJURY THROUGH SAIF

Courses

Sexual Abuse Injury Framework

KNOWLEDGE • HEALING • CHANGE
The impact of sexual abuse on the brain, body, and sense of self is real, specific — but often widely unrecognized across healthcare. SAIF provides a systematic, knowledge-based approach to understanding sexual abuse injuries and supporting survivors through informed, compassionate care.
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Sexual Abuse Injury Framework

KNOWLEDGE • HEALING • CHANGE
The impact of sexual abuse on the brain, body, and sense of self is real, specific — but often widely unrecognized across healthcare. SAIF provides a systematic, knowledge-based approach to understanding sexual abuse injuries and supporting survivors through informed, compassionate care.
Courses

Be Part of the Shift

For a better world, free from sexual abuse.

Survivor-informed approach

SAIF has been developed together with survivors, bringing their experiences and knowledge into clinical research and the development of a new way forward.

Understanding the injury

SAIF focuses on understanding injury rather than symptoms alone, recognising the psychological, relational and other consequences of sexual abuse.

Knowledge into practice

SAIF gives professionals structured knowledge and tools for assessing psychological injury and bringing an injury-based perspective into clinical practice.

SAIF Academy
Our Clinical Framework

ACEs

Adverse Childhood Experiences are childhood adversities associated with later psychiatric and physical health outcomes. These experiences can modify the effects of sexual abuse and influence the trajectory and severity of injury development.

SAIF

The Sexual Abuse Injury Framework is an injury-based framework developed by WONSA together with survivors. It describes common patterns of Sexual Abuse Injury, identifies Core Injuries and connects them with principles for treatment and healing.

SAC

The Sexual Abuse Classification provides a shared clinical language for identifying and communicating types of sexual violence and important contextual factors. It supports clearer assessment and documentation without requiring survivors to recount traumatic events in detail.

Become a SAIF certified professional

Learn to apply SAIF in real clinical settings with precision, clarity, and a deeper understanding of trauma-related injury.

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Courses

Clinical Principles

PRINCIPLES FOR TREATMENT AND HEALING

Compassion and Discernment

Compassion means choosing approaches that are both effective and gentle. It requires recognising when symptom management or healing is most appropriate and following the injury toward its source.

Principles, Not Dogmatism

The underlying principles of injury and healing guide the work rather than one single method. Understanding these principles allows different approaches to be adapted to the person and situation.

Remembrance Matters

Creating safety and space for people to reclaim their life histories and bear witness to what has taken place is an essential part of healing.

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