Santa Clara’s Survivor Support Group services are transferring funding from third-party provider Era Center to the Cowell Center’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) for the upcoming year.

In the fall of 2022, the Era Center partnered with Broncos Rise, a community support group for student survivors of trauma, to create a support group for students affected by sexual violence. Alumna Kim Panelo Xue ’10, the founder and clinical director of Era Center, has advocated for this partnership for the past decade.

The program was launched as a pilot in the fall quarter of 2022 and was subsequently renewed for the following winter and spring quarters. Following its success, the Era Center’s contract was approved for the entire 2023-24 academic year.

University administration has now decided to transfer funding for survivor support in-house for the next academic year. The new program will be led by licensed marriage and family therapist, Bich Nguyen-Hamilton.

“There are advantages to having it under the Cowell Center,” outgoing Associated Student Government President Lilly Humber said. “I think the biggest is that they can ensure that anyone in the support group is also receiving individual therapy, which is recommended for this type of group. Since Kim wasn't a Santa Clara employee, she couldn't directly work with the Cowell Center and have access to that database as fluidly.”

Santa Clara's recent decision has caused concern among students who now unexpectedly have only two weeks left in the school year with their current therapist at the Era Center. Some students feel discouraged that this sensitive information was communicated with so little time remaining in the year.

“I think that's the most tumultuous part, that students weren't given enough time to process if they were going to have a new therapist,” Humber said. “They weren't given a plan of action and that communication's been really insensitive.”

Despite the concerns, Humber expressed her support for the new CAPS-led support group.

“I'm in full support of the CAPS support group,” she said. “And I hope that, although we can't undo what's been done to the current students, we can help them with the transition.”