“You are the vanguard in this,” said Ben Murrie, the director of program management with Catharsis Productions, about the program that began here. “You walk what we talk.”

During the morning-long session, sailors and civilians listened as Christopher Kilmartin, a psychology professor from the University of Mary Washington in Virginia, shared his experiences from more than 30 years working in this field. Additionally, Kilmartin discussed strategies victims can employ to combat an attacker, how the buildup of several microaggressions – small incidents of adverse behavior, actions or words – that can lead to an overall hostile working environment and the organizational responsibilities in preventing sexual assault.

The training is not brand new to those in attendance, but the mode with which it is presented is varied to help the sailors and civilians think about other ways to combat the issue.

“It makes you think about it a different way. It helps you apply it to other situations because you’ve seen it in a different manner,” said FC1 (SW) Michael Strickland, a Navy Military Training Instructor with TSC Great Lakes.

Following the instructional period, the group was divided into three for breakout sessions where they discussed specific, evidence-based scenarios and how they could respond if they were in those situations.

“We all care about each other and we all want what’s best for the Navy,” said Heather Imrie, the director of program development with Catharsis Productions who led one of the breakout sessions. “As long as we keep in mind the end goal is a safe and better Navy for everyone, it’s all good.”

The goal of these trainings, Imrie said, is to not have to do them anymore because the instances of sexual assault are non-existent. But, until that time comes, Kilmartin said, he hopes these sessions give everyone a chance to think about the possible scenarios and to be better prepared with how to handle an instance of sexual harassment or abuse in their personal lives. He wants each person to have a “toolkit of responses” that is honed through these trainings.

“You can think about the problematic situations and how you would respond,” he said. “Similar to how an EMT (emergency medical technician) responds.”