SSAA Meeting Script

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SSAA Script

Meeting Opening Script

Meeting Opening

Welcome to Survivors of Sexual Assault Anonymous (SSAA).

My name is ____________ and I volunteered to read the opening and closing script for today.

Please may I ask for help with some of the readings as we go through the meeting.

Serenity Prayer

We will open the meeting with a moment of silence, followed by the Serenity Prayer.

Loving higher power,

Grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change,

the courage to change the things we can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

SSAA is a 12 Step Fellowship of Survivors of Sexual Assault. We meet to share our experience, strength and hope in our recovery from the effects of sexual assault or abuse, regardless of the specific circumstances. In SSAA, we learn not to deny what happened to us and to accept that it is not our fault. Our principles, which include our 12 Steps, Traditions and Promises, help us to come together and create a safe place in which to recover.

12 Steps

Will someone now please read some or all of the 12 Steps?

We admitted we were powerless over the assault, the effects of the assault, and that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a loving higher power, greater than ourselves, could restore hope, healing and sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of a loving higher power, as we understood that to be.
Made a searching and fearless inventory of ourselves, the assault, and its effects on our lives. We had no more secrets.
Admitted to a loving higher power, to ourselves, and to another human being our strengths and weaknesses.
Were entirely ready to have a loving higher power help us remove all the debilitating consequences of the assault and became willing to treat ourselves with respect, compassion and acceptance.
Humbly and honestly asked a loving higher power to remove the unhealthy and self-defeating consequences stemming from the sexual abuse.
Made a list of all the people we may have harmed (of our own free will), including ourselves, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people where ever possible, except when to do so would result in physical, mental, emotional or spiritual harm to ourselves or others.
Continued to take responsibility for our own recovery and when we found ourselves behaving in patterns still dictated by the assault, promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with ourselves and a loving higher power as we understood that to be, asking only for knowledge of HP’s will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other survivors and practice these principles in all our endeavors.

Tradition of the Month

Will someone now please read the tradition of the month? Which for (month) is Tradition (#)

12 Traditions

Our common welfare should come first; personal progress for the greatest number depends on SSAA unity.
For group purposes there is but one authority – a loving higher power as may be expressed in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
The only requirement for membership is that you are the survivor of a sexual assault and that you desire to recover from it.
Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting another group or SSAA as a whole.
Each SSAA group has but one primary purpose – to carry its message to the survivor who still suffers.
Our SSAA group ought never to endorse, finance or lend the SSAA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property or prestige divert us from our primary spiritual aim.
SSAA strives to be fully self-supporting and will not accept contributions that compromise SSAA’s autonomy or mission.
SSAA work should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
SSAA as such ought never be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
Survivors of Sexual Assault Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the SSAA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain anonymity at the level of press, radio, film, television and the internet.
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

Newcomer Welcome

Do we have any newcomers?

(If there are newcomers, please read the Newcomer Welcome, otherwise skip to Introductions)

Newcomer Welcome Message

The only requirement for attending meetings is that you were sexually assaulted or abused and want to recover. Together we work to heal the grief, shame, and self-destructive feelings, thoughts, and behaviors which survivors often experience.

We have found it easier to work on our trauma recovery when there are others who accept and support us.

While sometimes sharing our stories may feel like reopening an unhealed wound, we have found recovery easier when we have fellow survivors who are not afraid of our tears.

When we share our experiences and listen to others, it helps us cope with our pain. We support each other, and learn that the abuse or assault was not our fault.

We will never forget, but knowing we are not alone often helps to heal the long term trauma that impacts the silent survivor.

As we pursue our recovery, it is important for each of us to share, as we are able, but please know you are not required.

We observe crosstalk guidelines to allow everyone a safe place to share.

Everything that is said in the meeting or between members, must be held in strict confidence.

The role of a personal sponsor is replaced by fellowship, and "co-sponsorship" groups.

Each of our SSAA meetings are unique, including book club, 12 step, open topic, etc.
Please try out different meetings to see which ones best suit your needs, more information can be found on the website.

You may want to mark this day on your calendar as your first SSAA meeting, and celebrate as you reach monthly and yearly milestones.

Thank you so much for being here, you are truly welcome.

Introductions - Now we will introduce ourselves.

We like to keep our introductions brief so we ask that you just let us know your first name, and how you are feeling today.

I’ll go first, please feel free to either just unmute and speak up, or raise your hand if you prefer.

My name is ____. I am feeling ____.

Sharing Guidelines

We encourage each member to share openly about their own experiences as time allows. This is a safe place to share your experiences without being judged.

To ensure our meetings can be a safe and supportive place for participants, we do not crosstalk during the sharing time. Cross talk means interrupting, referring to, or commenting on what another person has said during their share unless that person clearly states at the end of their share time that they would like brief feedback.

Please hold everything said here in the group meeting, or member to member, in strict confidence. Please speak in first person “I” statements, avoiding “you”, “us” or “we” statements.

We discourage discussing politics and religion.

We do not use trigger warnings in order not to censor anyone.

To allow everyone a chance to share during the meeting we ask each person to limit their sharing to within the guidelines agreed upon for each meeting.

Today's meeting is: _______________.

Meeting Closing Script

That is all the time we have.

Please stay after the meeting if you have questions, or are in need of support.

Are there any SSAA announcements? (pause)

Please remember, whatever is said here, whenever you leave here, please let it stay here.

(When newcomers are present, read the Newcomer Closing)

Newcomer Closing Message

In SSAA we do not give advice, take what you like and leave the rest. Each of us will find the path meant for us in recovery.

Let there be no judgment or criticism of one another.

Remember to hold the anonymity of all members, their backgrounds, stories, and shares. What you see and hear during the meeting must be left here to protect everyone’s anonymity. Always limit discussions after the meeting to the topics discussed, instead of personal statements.

We want to remind those who have recently joined SSAA that you are creative, courageous, and caring survivors. It’s a miracle that you are here.

When we begin to heal the consequences of our assault or abuse experience, we become stronger and recognize ourselves as courageous, healing survivors.

We are sorry that suffering brought us together, but we hope you will feel the love we have in our hearts. We know your pain. We want you to know you are not to blame and you are not alone.

We have begun to realize that the pain of recovery is temporary, but the consequences of denial can last forever.

No matter how our abuse or assault experiences differ, in degree, duration, or severity, we share many of the same feelings and consequences as other survivors. You are not alone.

We are where we belong and we can offer each other respect and loving support. As in any group, conflict may arise, and we aim to place principles before personalities.

More information can be found on the SSAA website. Please consider joining the Wire Group Chat for additional support and questions.

At times members may stay after meetings for additional fellowship. We are so glad you found us as we walk the path of recovery together.

12 Promises

We will now take turns reading the 12 promises.

Who would like to volunteer to read some or all of our 12 promises?

We will attain and maintain serenity.
We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
We will not regret our part in the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
We will comprehend the word “serenity” and we will know peace.
No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in humanity.
Self-knowledge will blossom.
Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
We will suddenly realize that higher power is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us – sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.

Closing Prayer

Thank you for today’s meeting everyone. We end our meetings as we begin them, with a moment of silence followed by the Serenity Prayer.

[Moment of Silence]

Please unmute if you’d like to join us in saying the Serenity Prayer: