Community Consultation
What is Community Consultation?
OPEN’s Community Consultation services provide confidential guidance to Northeastern students and employees looking to support students and respond to incidents around sexual violence, dating violence, or stalking.
OPEN staff can speak to community members about:
- Supporting survivors or accused students (friends, roommates, partners, students)
- Responding to accusations of sexual violence (in student/friend groups, class etc.)
- Resources available through the University
- Sexual violence prevention strategies (in departments, organizations)
- Responsibilities as a Mandatory University Reporter
If these examples don’t describe your situation, you can still request this service or you could explore OPEN’s other sexual violence services, such as our Sexual Violence Resource Center (for students seeking support around their own experience of sexual violence) or our Confidential Resource Advisors (for students who have been accused of causing sexual violence).
OPEN’s Sexual Violence Services (including Community Consultation) are available to students and Northeastern faculty/staff regardless of your location within the Global University System.
Our staff strive to provide services that are inclusive and affirming to folks of all backgrounds and identities. We honor each student’s right to define their own experience and their own pathway to healing. For OPEN’s full framework and approach to sexual violence services, see here.
Request a Community Consultation Meeting
To set up a Community Consultation meeting, please fill out our service request form (log in with your Northeastern credentials).
Please email open@northeastern.edu with any additional questions. OPEN staff monitor service request submissions and email Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM ET, and will reply to requests as soon as possible.
Who can you meet with for Community Consultation Services?
Clara Cahill Farella (she/her)
Kirsten M. Kuhn-Kutteh (they/them)
While you can request which staff member you would like to meet with, we cannot guarantee their availability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I expect when I fill out the service request form?
Staff will reach out as soon as possible (usually within 2 business days) via phone or email (depending on your indicted preference) to set up a meeting time. If you changed your mind about wanting a meeting since you filled out the request form, you do not have to respond to outreach, although a staff member may follow up to offer additional support.
What can I expect from a meeting?
Whether you meet with staff in-person or virtually, staff will greet you, review confidentiality, and open the conversation to you to share what brings you in for a Community Consultation meeting. You are welcome to share as much or as little as you like with staff. They will listen and walk you through options that may be able to best meet your needs or discuss strategies for supporting survivors in your life, prevention strategies for student and/or friend groups, and how to respond to disclosures of sexual violence.
Are services available in-person or virtually?
Services can be accessed in-person on the Boston campus, or virtually from anywhere in the world via Microsoft Teams.
Are Community Consultation Services confidential?
Yes, all OPEN staff members are considered Confidential Employees according to Northeastern University policy. See OPEN’s confidentiality policy here.
Can I bring someone else with me to my meeting?
You are more than welcome to bring a friend with you if that will make you feel more comfortable. If you are a member of a student organization, you are welcome to bring additional members of the organization to the meeting who are also seeking support in navigating an incident of sexual violence if that feels relevant. Please communicate this desire to the staff member who you will be meeting with ahead of time.
How can OPEN support student leaders?
OPEN can offer guidance to student leaders about how to respond to incidents of sexual violence in their community and/or discuss future prevention strategies. For more information, see here for resources for student leaders.