NAPERVILLE, Ill.-- With the striking number of sexual assaults each year, what can be done to comfort and encourage a friend who has experienced the trauma of such an assault?
"Survivors look to those closest to them for support, encouragement, and
advice," says Cassandra Juarez, author of "A Journey Through the Penumbra: Out
Of Rape's Shadow. "However, family and friends of survivors are often confused about the role they should play during a survivor's healing process."
A licensed professional counselor, Juarez has helped many clients who have
a history of sexual assault and/or abuse. Moved by the profound sense of
isolation most victims expressed, she wrote her book to dispel the secrecy and increase awareness about rape.
"A Journey Through the Penumbra" is a fictional account of a young woman
who is raped on her college campus and her subsequent descent into suicidal
psychosis and finally, recovery. If you or some one you know has been the
victim of a attack, find out where to go for help in the free special report
Juarez offers, "Top 10 Resources for Victims of Sexual Abuse," available at
http://www.cjuarez.com. "If a friend has been raped, give her the assistance and
support you'd want to receive," says Juarez. Here she offers six ways to help
a hurting friend:
1. Stay with her. Listen to her. Be reassuring.
2. Encourage her not to destroy any evidence by washing herself or
changing clothes.
3. Suggest that she seek immediate medical help and an examination.
Offer to go with her to the doctor.
4. Advise her to report the crime. Offer to go with her to the police.
5. Reassure her that however she reacted during the assault, she did
the best she could do at the time. What happened is not her fault.
6. Recommend that she talk to a counselor.
While there's no way to erase what has happened to your friend, your
commitment to care and concern can play a vital role in her recovery. Get the
free special report, "How I Stopped a Rapist and How You Can Too," at http://www.cjuarez.com.
Source: cjuarez.com
