Support (continued)

 

Perhaps, if you have also experienced sexual assault, your experience was different. I hope so. Given the known reluctance to report these events to authorities, I would say that not much has changed over the last few decades.

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As an adult, when I tried to reach out to local rape crisis centers, I experienced varying results. To maintain good health and stay in touch with those with common experiences, I felt it was important to participate in support groups. My experience was and is, that many of these centers are not staffed properly and, often, I received little-to-no response.

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Additionally, in my pursuit of continued therapy for PTSD, I also have searched for specialized therapists. My experience in this area was and is that PTSD counseling is more commonly available to military veterans; however, not for those of us with sexual assault backgrounds. I have worked with a few therapists that specialize in anxiety and stress which was only partly effective.