Sexual violence expert Kristen Houser-Rapp discusses society’s attitudes toward victims, misplaced blame, and the oversimplification of issues that could help prevent sexual violence. Kristen gives context around the nature of intrafamilial abuse and the grooming of spouses and family members and dissects Amanda’s family members’ responses to Bill’s violence and predation. 

This episode was recorded before the release of Great Photo, Lovely Life.

Kristen Houser-Rapp is a leading expert on sexual violence. With decades of experience in the field, Houser is a go-to source for context and expert opinion to national, regional, and international media – including the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Forbes, and others. Houser-Rapp has served as a lead spokesperson for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape and Raliance, a national partnership working to end sexual violence in one generation. She provides expert opinion, context, and facts about sexual assault to media covering high-profile cases, including those of Bill Cosby and Jerry Sandusky. She graduated from Penn State in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development & Family Studies and a minor in Women’s Studies and earned her Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 2005.