Survivors of domestic and sexual violence, abuse, and assault often lack the proper resources to seek out help from someone who can provide complete confidentiality to them. In fact most survivors are more likely to go to their loved ones for help and solace before going to a professional. This is a very natural response because humans tend to go to the people who they are closest to in their hard times rather than complete strangers. The only problem with this response is that their loved ones can relive their pain for a few moments but cannot get them the proper treatment or guarantee complete confidentiality. Sooner or later, that confidant will reach out to another person they trust in order to seek out help for their loved one. In order o combat the effects of sexual assault and violence, one must seek out help from the right resources.
Laura Rodriguez de Simons, Client Services Director for The Advocacy Center of Tompkins County, gave an insightful talk on how she got involved with providing services to survivors of sexual assault and abuse and how she turned her passion into her career. Laura explained that she wanted to work for nonprofits, but after she got her MBA she decided to work for a real estate company for a few months. Often students don’t realize that they can work in a field that is not related to their college degree, and Laura explained how even though she doesn’t work in a business, she still uses her MBA to manage people around her. She strikes a good balance between her passion and education which I feel is very important to do if you want to be successful in the field you’re working in and make a big difference. Laura emphasized how patient confidentiality is vital to protecting victims of assaults, so that they get the necessary mental and physical treatment to recover. I can only imagine that if a friend ever confided in me with a serious problem like rape, abuse, or domestic violence, my first instinct would be to seek out the proper resources for him/her to get help. I would assure him/her that I would respect their privacy, but would also have to direct him/her to a professional like Laura who is capable of dealing with such survivors. I don’t want to risk my friend’s well being by protecting their issue, I want them to get the proper help that they need as soon as possible.
I think the type of work that individuals such as Laura do is amazing and extremely difficult. There are so many stories that I have heard that have gone unreported about sexual assault or abuse and although it is the victims choice on how they want to handle the legal aspects of the situation, I always recommend that they at least speak to a counselor that can help them through the healing process. The counselors do an outstanding job of helping people, but it must be hard to do so without letting what they have heard get to them. It is difficult work, but much appreciated by everyone in the community that we have such amazing people to turn to for support.
I agree that there is only so much friends and family can do to help a survivor of sexual assault and that the best course of action would be to seek professional help. But I wonder how accessible that would be to people who might not be able to afford counseling services. Thankfully, there are now hotlines for people to call which are free but when it comes to seeking professional treatment I wonder if there are governmental services for sexual assault survivors who are of low-income.