Support Workers
UNDERSTAND SEXUAL TRAUMA. STRENGTHEN YOUR SUPPORT.
Develop a deeper understanding of sexual abuse injuries and the support survivors may need. SAIF gives support workers an injury-based perspective, practical knowledge and opportunities to connect with a wider professional community.
Strengthen Your Practice Become SAIF Certified
EDUCATION FOR SUPPORT WORKERS
Supporting survivors begins with understanding what they may be carrying. SAIF approaches sexual trauma as injury, helping you look beyond presenting symptoms and recognise different injury levels.
Grounded in a decade of research and experience involving survivors, clinicians and researchers, the programme introduces knowledge that can inform your supportive approach and help you communicate that healing is possible.
Why SAIF?
Understand sexual trauma through an injury-based perspective.
Recognise needs that may lie beyond presenting symptoms.
Connect survivors with appropriate support and professional care.
Access guidance and supervision through a global network.
What SAIF Brings To Support Work
KNOWLEDGE THAT SUPPORTS GREATER UNDERSTANDING
Look beyond symptoms
Explore how underlying sexual abuse injuries may shape a survivor’s experiences, helping you understand needs that are not immediately visible.
Recognise support needs
Learn practical tools and principles for understanding injury levels and considering the support or care each person may need.
Build referral connections
Connect survivors with certified therapists and psychiatrists through the provider network, supporting collaboration while keeping each professional’s role clear.
Access shared knowledge
Join a global community where you can exchange experiences, seek guidance and connect with other professionals for supervision.
Meet Our SAIF Specialists
Connect with healthcare professionals who have developed knowledge of Sexual Abuse Injury and the SAIF approach. Explore their experience, areas of practice, and professional background.
Meet Our Specialists
Learn from professionals who bring clinical experience, research, observation, and knowledge to the development of survivor-informed healthcare.
Full SAIF Program
Explore WONSA’s foundations, screening, injury levels and dissociation through online learning. Study at your own pace, with recorded lectures and live webinars included in selected courses.
WONSA Intro
Discover the framework through a self-paced introductory course with a certificate of completion.
SAIF: Screening
Build screening knowledge through self-paced study and recorded lectures, with certification options.
SAI Levels and Dissociation
Explore SAI Levels 1–2, Dissociation, and Levels 3–5, with recorded lectures and selected live webinars.
Explore the Courses
How It Works
LEARN AT YOUR OWN PACE. DEVELOP YOUR PRACTICE.
Study online
Access learning from home and choose study times that fit around your work and personal commitments.
Build your understanding
Explore the framework’s foundations, then deepen your knowledge through courses on screening, injury levels and dissociation.
Connect through webinars
Meet teachers and students through monthly webinars, with live sessions in selected courses.
Work towards certification
Choose when you are ready for assessment through monthly online examinations. Certification is purchased separately from the course.
Program Requirements
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE JOINING
No entry requirements
WONSA lists no entry requirements for the support workers programme. No specific professional licence or academic qualification is stated as a prerequisite.
Study at your own pace
The programme is delivered online, allowing you to choose when you study and when you are ready to take an examination.
Certification and fees
Certification involves an online examination and is paid for separately from the course. Additional fees may apply for professional network access.
Who can join the SAIF program?
This programme is designed for support workers who want to better understand sexual trauma and bring that knowledge into their professional practice. WONSA lists no formal entry requirements for this programme.
SAIF Program specifications
LEARN, GET CERTIFIED AND CONNECT
1
Study SAIF
Learn online at your own pace, with monthly webinars and further training.
2
Get certified
Complete an online exam and list your services in the directory. Optional renewal is available.
3
Access the network
Connect with professionals for advice and supervision. Build referral relationships within your professional role
Bring SAIF into your Clinical Practice
Whether you are a professional seeking deeper clinical knowledge, a survivor seeking greater understanding, or someone supporting a survivor, there is a SAIF pathway for you.
Frequently
Asked Questions
Questions we often asked
Do I need a professional qualification to join?
WONSA lists no entry requirements for the support workers programme. The page does not specify a professional licence or academic qualification as a prerequisite.
What will I learn through SAIF?
The programme introduces an injury-based understanding of sexual trauma. You can explore screening, different injury levels and dissociation, with knowledge intended to inform your support work.
Which courses are available?
The programme lists five courses: WONSA Intro, SAIF: Screening, SAI Levels 1–2, SAI: Dissociation and SAI Levels 3–5. Courses are self-paced, with recorded lectures beyond the introduction and live webinars in selected courses.
Is certification included in the course fee?
No. Course participation and certification are paid for separately. WONSA Intro provides a certificate of completion, while certification options require an additional fee. Network access may also involve additional charges.
How can the provider network support my work?
The network offers opportunities for guidance, supervision and professional connections. Through the directory, you can connect survivors with certified therapists and psychiatrists and receive referrals for support within your own role.