If you are a survivor of adult or childhood sexual assault, we can work alongside other professionals in the NHS and public services to safeguard you and keep you and others safe. It’s important to remember this incident or incidents are not your fault.

Sexual assault is a crime that is more likely to be perpetrated by someone we know, who we have strong feelings for or even love. You might be conflicted and want to protect them from any legal or social consequences of reporting their actions to the police. Remember you are not alone. We’re here to rebuild your confidence and life after sexual assault and abuse.

If you’ve been through the harrowing experience of sexual assault you may have frozen, found it difficult to fight back or be questioning yourself: “Did I ask for or deserve this?”. Remember that in intense traumatic situations our bodies may not respond as we would want them to. We could struggle to fight or run away, we may just freeze. This is a survival response as well and it can keep us safe and may have protected us from further physical harm.

Always seek medical attention after sexual assault. Visit your GP, sexual health clinic and contact the police as soon as possible to give a statement. Speak to someone you trust. We’re here for you when you’re ready to embark on professional therapy to process the trauma you’ve been through. We also understand the legal process can be re-traumatising and we have experienced practitioners at Lifespan Psychology available to support you through this.