How to Help Trauma Survivors
Tips on How to Help Survivors of Trauma
- Remain calm.
- Encourage discussion about the trauma to the extent that the survivor feels comfortable.
- Remind the survivor that they are not responsible for the incident.
- No one asks or deserves to be raped, assaulted, abused etc.
- Avoid saying that “you know” how the survivor feels. Keep focus on the survivor.
- No one can ever really know how another person feels, even if they have experienced the same kind of trauma.
- Also talking about how you feel takes the attention away from the survivor’s feelings and experience.
- Listen.
- Avoid judging or questioning the survivor.
- Do not ask “why” questions such as, “Why were you drinking?” or “Why did you go to their room?”
- Why questions tend to imply blame on the survivor for what happened.
- Do not ask “why” questions such as, “Why were you drinking?” or “Why did you go to their room?”
- Encourage the survivor to seek counseling from specially trained mental health professionals.
- Help the survivor explore options and choices in their process of healing, but avoid making decisions for them.
- Leave the control of decision making up to the survivor.
- Respect the survivor’s need for privacy and their desire to talk or not talk about the details of the trauma.
- Acknowledge your own feelings of anger, concern, and sadness.
- Seek counseling for yourself to help process your reaction to the trauma.
