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How to Help a Friend Who is a
Victim of Sexual Assault |
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Believe Your Friend:
Your
friend trusts you and that is why she/he told you about the assault. There may be
some confusion about details, but that doesn’t mean the person isn’t telling the
truth. The assault is a traumatic situations and details can become confused. |
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Let Your Friend Know that the
Assault is Not Her/His fault: No one asks or deserves to be assaulted. A
person may have made some poor choices about her/his own behavior, but even so no one ever
deserves to be assaulted. |
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Listen Carefully:
You
may feel awkward, embarrassed or nervous; these are normal reactions. Let your
friend know how you feel, but also express your willingness to help. |
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Let Your Friend Know that You
Care: Continue to support your friend for making the decision to tell
you, but help empower your friend by letting her/him make decisions for her/himself. |
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Let You Friend Know that Their
Feelings are Normal: Having intense mood swings or change in eating
habits or sleeping patterns can be a result of an assault. This is called Rape Trauma Syndrome.
Your friend may feel distrustful of everyone, may have a lot of fears or feel
crazy. Your friend isn’t going crazy. These are all normal reactions to an
assault. Encourage your friend to seek help; one way is by calling STAR. |
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Support Your Friend for Talking
about the Assault: Tell your friend that healing begins when she/he talks about
the experience and the feelings surround the experience. |
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Be Confidential and Respect Your
Friend’s Privacy: Remember that your friend trusts you. Often it is
difficult to listen to someone else’s pain. It can cause strong feelings or
reactions in you. If you want to talk about what you are feeling contact a counselor
or call STAR. Don’t talk to other friends or people who may not respect your
friend’s privacy. |
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Let Your Friend Know About Other
People Who Can Help: Encourage your friend to seek help for her/himself.
STAR is available 24 hours a day. |
How to Help a Friend
