Adult Survivors of Sexual Assault
If you've experienced sexual assault or abuse, you may be wrestling with complex questions and overwhelming feelings.
Between the anxiety, flashbacks, and self-doubt, it’s hard to focus on work, friendships, or resume activities you used to enjoy. You startle easily, feel overwhelmed, or are completely detached from your body and reality.
You feel alone, and concerned about how others may respond to your experience. What if they minimize your experience or force you to take action you’re not ready for?
You question if what you experienced was actually assault, and blame yourself for what happened. What if no one believes you?
You may experience a wide range of emotions after an assault, including:
✘ Anxious in dating or sexual situations
✘ Overwhelmed by flashbacks and intrusive thoughts
✘ Losing track of time or forgetting things
✘ Avoiding people, places, and situations that remind you of the assault
✘ Difficulty sleeping or having nightmares
✘ Doubting if what happened ‘counts’ as assault
✘ Feeling disconnected or detached from your body
✘ Withdrawing from friends, family, and coworkers
✘ Losing interest in hobbies or interests
✘ Aversion to sexual activity or receiving romantic interest from others
What you may experience as you start therapy for sexual assault:
Process through what happened on your own terms
Determine if and when you wish to share your story, and with whom
Reconnect to your body in a way that feels safe and empowering
Make sense of what happened and eliminate the endless loops of ‘what ifs’
Reduce flashbacks, triggers, anxiety, and numbness
Increase or regain trust in yourself and others
What if I’m not sure it was sexual assault/rape?
The feelings you're grappling with are valid and important. It’s not uncommon for survivors to question their experience due to societal messages and misinformation on consent and boundaries. We want to know how the experience impacted you. If you felt that your boundaries were crossed, you didn’t fully consent, you felt violated, or it just felt off, icky, or bad – that’s what matters to us.
You don’t have to label your experience as assault or not – now or ever. We can focus on your feelings, experiences, and help you start to trust yourself again before deciding if we want to label your experience in any specific way.
Will I have to report the abuse?
In most cases, we will never ask you to report your assault to anyone or take legal action. As mandatory reporters, there are some nuances we will navigate together so you can feel informed and empowered before you disclose any information.
You don’t have to share specifics about the assault for therapy to help you. We use modalities that do not rely on disclosure of your assault in order to heal. We can help you process what happened to you, reduce your triggers, and regain safety and trust again.
Financial assistance: Your therapy sessions may be fully covered for 6-12 months.
All of You Therapy is a registered provider to accept payment through the Pennsylvania Victims Compensation Assistance Program Survivors of sexual assault that occurred in the state of Pennsylvania are eligible for up to $5,000 in funding for therapy services if the crime occurred in adulthood and $10,000 if the crime occurred in childhood.
You don’t have to report what happened, talk to the police, or ‘prove’ the assault occurred in order to access benefits. Your therapy session remains confidential and your privacy is protected.
To learn more about VC benefits, click here.
Sexual assault profoundly affects your life, relationships, and how you navigate the world.
Therapy can help you start to feel better, make sense of your experience, and feel more control over triggers and overwhelming emotions.