What is How to Support a Survivor?

How to Support a Survivor provides concrete tools that can help friends, family members, and colleagues of survivors of sexual assault support a survivor’s recovery. This program identifies both helping behaviors that support survivors of sexual assault and harmful behaviors that should be avoided. The program also includes concrete steps to help you become a stronger supporter for the people in your life affected by sexual violence.

Learning Objectives: 

• Recognize why a survivor may feel or act certain ways and why your support is important to their healing process. 
• Demonstrate ways that you can help empower a survivor after an assault, and why that is important for their healing process. 
• Discuss how encouraging words and phrases can avoid judgment and show support for the survivor.
• Identify ways to continue supporting a survivor weeks, months, and even years after the assault. 
• Explain bystander-intervention and other prevention techniques.
• Manage your well-being as a supporter of a survivor.

This module can be completed anonymously or for one hour of D-SAACP credit via the respective Get Started buttons above.

For more information on the background and development of this program, download the Information Paper.