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Sexual assault is an attack on body, mind, and spirit. It often wounds your spirit even more profoundly than it wounds your body. When those wounds are not visible, it can be hard to understand why they are still painful during the weeks, months, or years after the assault. Recovery can be a lengthy and difficult process. Time, support, and talking with understanding people are all important parts of healing.
Our program provides advocacy, support, and information to victim/survivors -- immediately following an assault, and throughout the healing process. Trained advocates are available on a 24-hour basis to provide confidential crisis intervention and support. Short-term peer counseling and referrals are available by appointment during the hours of 9am until 5pm, Monday through Friday. Our staff also offers periodic groups for adult survivors of rape and child sexual abuse. We can make referrals to groups for incest survivors.
We believe that you are never to blame for an assault against you. In addition, we think that you are uniquely capable of making your own best choices, and that doing so is an important part of your healing. We can act as a personal link between you and law enforcement officials, medical personnel, mental health care professionals, and other agencies or services that may be involved in assisting you. Our role is to ensure that you get the information you need, that you're listened to, and that you are treated with the sensitivity, respect, and dignity you deserve.
FEELINGS * Fear * Anger * Isolation * Feeling out of control * Depression * Feeling crazy * Numbness, or * Irritability inability to feel * Hopelessness * Sadness * Shame * Confusion * Self-blame POSSIBLE REACTIONS * Nightmares * Difficulty working * Difficulty sleeping * Decreased interest in * Substance abuse things you have previously * Mood swings enjoyed * Memory loss * Decreased concentration * Eating disturbances * Difficulty being alone or * Difficulty with with people sexuality * Problems with close * Difficulty trusting relationshipsIf you have experienced any -- or all -- of these feelings or responses, you need to know that you are not alone. Regardless of the circumstances of your particular assault, whether it happened today or twenty years ago, the effects of such emotional trauma and pain will probably be with you for a period of time. It helps to talk with someone who understands the impact of sexual abuse and the healing process.
A rape crisis counselor or trained therapist can help you work through the experience and its aftermath in a confidential and secure environment.
You may suspect that you were sexually abused as a child, but you may be unable to remember any specific details or incidents of abuse. It is very common for survivors to have memory loss surrounding the abuse they suffered as children. For many children, learning how to forget is an integral part of survival. If you feel that you may have been sexually abused in the past, we can work with you to find out where those feelings are coming from.
Your family and friends may have their own feelings about your assault or abuse. You may find that their responses are helpful and supportive, or you may find that they have difficulty understanding. In some cases, they can even hinder your recovery. We offer 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.
Your initial contact with use may have been through the Rape Crisis Line. The Rape Crisis Line is covered around the clock by staff members and trained volunteer rape crisis advocates. The Rape Crisis Line can provide you with support, information, and crisis intervention. If you decide to have a medical exam following a sexual assault, advocates can accompany you to the hospital and stay with you throughout the procedure. Advocates can also go with you to meet with law enforcement officials, the County Attorney, and other personnel throughout the legal process.
The Rape Crisis Line is designed to provide you with immediate emergency support. It is not a substitute for individual counseling or therapy. In fact, there are some cases in which continued support from the Rape Crisis Line may not be the appropriate resource to meet your needs
Individual Peer Counseling
Many survivors find it helpful to work individually with a staff rape crisis counselor. Our rape crisis couselors have been trained in dealing with all aspects of sexual abuse, its impact , and the recovery process. We are peer counselors who can give you support and help you to identify issues, options, and resources on a short-term basis.
For a recovering victim/survivor of sexual assault, it is common to feel crazy or out of control some of the time. It is important to remember that you are reacting to a life- threatening emotional trauma. Your reactions, however, do not need to be permanent.
The healing experience is unique for each victim/survivor, but there are similarities for most. Our framework involves re-examining the event and the feelings associated with it. From there, we 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.
We are available to meet weekly with you for up to twelve sessions. Near the tenth session, you and your rape crisis counselor will make plans for closure and continuing support.
At the end of the first twelve weeks, you and your rape crisis counselor may decide that continued individual support with us would be most appropriate. If so, we can meet bi-weekly for an additional twelve weeks.
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 we've begun together on the troubling issues you have identified. We will work closely with several therapists in the Iowa City-Johnson County area. Sometimes therapy is more helpful than peer counseling, and we can make a referral for you at any time.
In some cases, we do continue to meet with survivors beyond twenty-four weeks. It is not unusual for legal or administrative proceedings to last longer than six months, so we will continue to work with you until your case is resolved. You may request to see us while you're on a waiting list to see a therapist. In addition, sometimes you, your therapist, and your rape crisis counselor may decide that our working together best suits your needs.
Groups
Groups give you the opportunity to continue your healing with other 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:
It may be a good idea to work individually 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 participation will meet your neets. If you decide to work in a group with us, we ask that you discontinue your individual meetings with our staff for the duration of the group. 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.
Resource Library
Our program maintains 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. You can check out books at any time. We ask that you return them within two weeks.