(CW: Discussion of sexual assault)
How do we deal with the effects of sexual assault that come months, years or even decades later? On Thursday 26th at 8:30pm AEST we'll explore answers to that question together here.
When the topic of sexual assault comes up, often we focus on the immediate aftermath, talking about the assault itself and what can be done to help a survivor mentally, medically, legally and socially in the short term. While making sure this part of a survivor’s journey is as supportive as possible is so, so important, the next part of their story tends to get less attention from those around them.
Most survivors experience a kind of ‘ripple effect’ in their lives in the long term, which can look different for everyone. Some have to find ways to manage the day-to-day triggers that can come from our society and the media we consume, while others might also contend with mental illness (such as PTSD, anxiety and depression) and physical health issues.
Something that’s been bringing the experiences of survivors up in a major way has been the MeToo movement. All over social media, survivors have been sharing their stories as a way of showing the people in their lives how unfortunately common experiencing sexual assault or harassment is for many. This is an important conversation, but for a lot of survivors (including myself) hearing so many stories of assault and deciding whether or not to share their own can be a pretty difficult experience.
The fact that we’re talking about it now is great, but what can be done to support those posting their #metoo stories? What can we do as survivors look after ourselves and live with our experiences in a way that still lets us lead happy, healthy and fulfilling lives?
These are big questions, but on Thursday 26th at 8:30pm AEST we, along with some of the counsellors and doctors from the Sexual Assault Resource Centre (SARC) in WA, are going to try and find answers to them.
Remember to treat yourself with kindness and compassion, what you’ve experienced isn’t your fault and you deserve to feel supported. If this post has made you feel in any way distressed, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Kids Helpline or Lifeline and a list of sexual assault resources nationally and by state can be found here.
Hi everyone, welcome to tonight's infobus session 
tonight we'll be joined by @Moya and @Kim-SARC, who are two of the doctors at the Sexual Assault Resource Centre (SARC) in WA, and @CaroSarc and @Jacinta-SARC, who are both therapists with SARC. We're going to be talking a bit about dealing with some of the issues that survivors of sexual assault can deal with in the long run.
This is a pretty heavy topic, so please remember to take care of yourself as you post. If you're feeling distress at any point during the chat, I'd really encourage you to use the urgent help link found on the top right hand corner of the screen and you can also find sexual assault specific resources by state here.
Let's get started!
As I mentioned, Tonight we’re looking at some of the things that survivors can experience in the months and years after assault. What are some of the things a survivor might deal with long term that you feel doesn’t get talked about much?
Welcome @Moya @Chessca_H @scared01 and all the great people at SARC Thank you for joining us tonight.
