What Should a Support Team for a Sexual Assault Survivor Look Like?
Abuse typically happens in isolation. Healing happens with support. If you are a survivor of child sexual abuse, it’s so important you know you are not alone. There are many other survivors out there, and there are communities of survivors, advocates, and trauma-informed professionals that want to support you, hear you, and help you on your journey to healing. While every survivor’s support team may look different, it’s important each survivor finds people that can be present and compassionate during challenging times of growth and healing.
Should I be Seeing a Therapist to Deal with my Experience Child Sexual Abuse?
We typically recommend that survivors see a therapist. But that is your choice.
While the civil justice system can be very healing, it’s important that you have a support team that includes a therapist that you trust and confide in. Your lawsuit may bring up strong and painful memories. As you grow through that process, having a trained professional therapist may help you navigate the emotional challenges you experience while seeking legal justice.
They will help you with coping strategies, emotionally-healthy decision-making, and processing memories or feelings that the legal process may uncover.
Building the ideal support team starts with finding an attorney experienced in representing adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Contact us to learn more. It’s commitment-free and 100% confidential.
What Other Services Does a Good Lawyer Provide, Besides Legal Help?
An attorney who has experience in successfully handling child sexual abuse cases should be trauma-informed.
Being trauma-informed means that everyone in the practice who interacts with a survivor, from the receptionist to the lead attorney, understands the effects of childhood trauma, the unique needs of each survivor, and how to guide the survivor through the civil justice process in a healing and supportive way.
A trauma-informed attorney will also have advocates in their offices, whose sole job is to effectively communicate with the client, help clients address a variety of needs, and act as a resource.
Our firm’s many decades of dedication to adult survivors of sexual abuse means that trauma-informed approaches are embedded in everything we do.
Can I Bring My Spouse, Parent, or Trusted Friend to My Meetings with My Attorney?
It is typically okay to bring a spouse or trusted friend to your first in person meeting with an attorney. Talking to an attorney for the first time in person makes some people nervous, and if bringing a trusted person helps you feel more comfortable, we support that. If there is a meeting later on where it is not appropriate for you to have another person present, your attorney will explain to you the reasons why and help you make accommodations.
Building the ideal support team starts with finding an attorney experienced in representing adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.