If You Have Been Sexually Assaulted
We know the courage and strength it takes to survive; your visit here today for information is a very positive indication that you have begun your healing process.
Page Contents
Healing Information | Crisis Lines | Individual Counseling | Group Counseling | Resources
Healing Information
For a recovering victim/survivor of sexual assault, it is common to feel crazy or out of control at times. Remember that you are reacting to a life- threatening emotional trauma and your view of the world, and those people in it, has changed. Through support, information and maps to healing, you can heal. While you never forget the experience, it does not have to continue to have the painful emotional and physical impact it had initially.
Your family and friends may have their own feelings about your assault/abuse. Some loved ones respond well and are helpful and supportive. Some may have difficulty understanding and they may struggle with the myths (as you might) about rape. In some cases, they can even hinder your recovery by making decisions for you that you would not agree with or by becoming overprotective. Many communities have rape crisis centers, including RVAP and the Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline, who can help by offering short-term counseling, crisis intervention and information for those close to you to help them resolve their own feelings about the abuse you've suffered and how best to be helpful to you.
A rape crisis counselor or trained therapist can help you work through the experience and its aftermath in a confidential and secure environment. We can also help you and find other people who can help.
Crisis Lines
Rape Crisis Lines, including the RVAP Rape Crisis Line and the Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline, can provide you with immediate emergency support, advocacy and information. They are not a substitute for individual counseling or therapy but may be effective for shorter-term support and information. Sometimes continued support from the Rape Crisis Line may not be the most effective resource for you. RVAP offers individual and group counseling, generally on a short-term basis, and can provide you with referrals for longer-term resources if necessary.
You can call the Rape Crisis Line 24 hours a day at 319.335.6000 or 800.228.1625.
You can also call the Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline 24 hours a day at 800.284.7821
Individual Counseling
Many victims/survivors find it helpful to work individually with a rape crisis counselor. Rape crisis counselors have been trained in dealing with all aspects of sexual abuse, its impact and the recovery process. Counselors can give you support and help you to identify issues, options and resources on a short-term basis.
The healing experience is unique for each victim/survivor, but there are similarities for most. Many counseling frameworks involve re-examining the event and the feelings associated with it. From there, you and your counselor may look at how the assault has affected your life and what things you're doing to cope with it. Some of your coping strategies may feel effective, and some you may choose to change or discard.
Many rape crisis centers have counselors available to meet weekly with you for a specific number of sessions over the course of several months. Near your final session, you and your rape crisis counselor will make plans for closure and continuing support.
If you feel that you have longer-term issues, particularly if your history includes child sexual abuse or incest, you may want to consider a referral to a therapist who understands the effects of sexual abuse. On a longer-term basis, a trained therapist can continue the work you've begun together with a rape crisis counselor on the troubling issues you have identified. Most rape crisis centers will work closely with several therapists in their geographical area.
In some cases, rape crisis centers can have a longer term relationship with you. It is not unusual for legal or administrative proceedings to last longer than six months, so many centers will continue to work with and advocate for you until your case is resolved. You may also want to consider requesting to see a counselor temporarily while on a waiting list to see a therapist. In addition, sometimes you, your therapist and your rape crisis counselor may decide that working together will best suit your needs.
Find a Rape Crisis Center near you:
Inside Iowa | Outside Iowa
Group Counseling
Groups give you the opportunity to continue your healing with other victims/survivors who have had experiences similar to yours. Group counseling works differently from individual meetings. For many survivors, it works particularly well. Here are some possible benefits of a group experience:
- Sharing your experience with others in a safe environment
- Exploring similarities with other victim/survivors
- Breaking the feeling of isolation that is often characteristic of sexual assault victim/survivors
- Developing new and healthier ways of coping
- Learning and practicing new skills
It is a good idea to work individually with a sexual assault counselor (or your own counselor, if you have one) for a while before you plan to start with a group. Your staff counselor can discuss with you the types of groups available and whether a specific one is the best match for you. If you are working with an outside therapist or another support person, you may feel free to continue to meet with them while the group is going on.
Resources
Resource Library
Many programs maintain a lending library of material about sexual abuse and the healing process. You may find that reading about aspects of healing and the experiences of others helps to reduce the isolation you may feel. At RVAP we have a Lending Library available to the public at no cost
On-line Resources
Digital Storytelling
Listen to survivors of violence against women take up multimediatechnology, and tell their own powerful and transformative stories. Digitalstorytelling by Silence Speaks is an initiative that makes it possible forsurvivors and witnesses of violence to come together in small groups,reflect on their gender training and experiences of abuse, and tell theirstories in their own words, sounds, and images.
Take Back the Tech!
Few opportunities exist for survivors to tell their stories in their own words. Silence Speaks fills this gap by connecting survivors and witnesses of abusewith their creativity and making their voices the centerpiece of violence prevention and social justice efforts. Bearing witness to these stories moves the issue from the individual to the collective, and offers hope forending the violence. Twelve powerful stories are showcased on Take Back TheTech!, in partnership between Silence Speaks and APC Women's Program.
