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 via the Get Started button above.

To complete this module for D-SAACP credit, you must access the course through Joint Knowledge Online (JKO). Instructions for accessing the course on JKO are available on the education homepage.

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