If You Want To Help Somone Who Has Experienced Sexual Assault Or Abuse

• Believe her or him.
• Be aware of your tendencies for denial.
• Validate the survivors' experience by quietly listening and conveying your
  understanding of the difficulty of the experience.
• Refrain from minimizing or "explaining away" anything a survivor of
  assault experiences as hurtful.
• Don't blame.
• Don't judge.
• Avoid trying to "fix" anything. If you can simply hear and let the survivor
  know you care, you will have been profoundly helpful.
• Give information not advice.
• Encourage a survivor to get medical attention.
• Don't press a victim to report the crime. This decision should be made
  by her alone. She has had enough control taken away from her.
• Respect her right to privacy.
• Encourage survivors to seek help from people with expertise in sexual
  assault and who are comfortable with the issue. Not all counselors or
  therapists have these qualifications.
• Let the survivor know that she or he can call Rape Trauma Services'
  confidential 24-hour hotline (650) 692-RAPE (7273).