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Bre Cook
Mrs. Hensel
English 4
12 Nov. 2015
Steps to Avoiding Sexual Assaults
Being sexually assaulted can cause a lot of damage to yourself
including confusion as to what steps you should follow next in the process of
reporting an assault. A disclosure may not be without consequence for the
client; any act of sexual violence can have both direct and long-term effects
(Doran). Examinations of survivors of sexual assault should be conducted so
as to minimize further trauma to the survivor and should be performed by an
experienced clinician (Sexual Assault and STDs). The steps to follow after
being a victim of a sexual assault is to get tested for STDs, report the
assault fast, and seek help from the appropriate counselor.
It is important to be checked for STDs considering you could have had
the STD before the assault. Among sexually active adults, the identification
of sexually transmitted infection after an assault is usually more important
for the psychological and medical management of the patient than for legal
purposes, because the infection could have been acquired before the
assault (Sexual Assault and STDs). Medical exams are an opportunity to
identify or prevent sexually transmitted infections, even if they were not the
result of the assault (Sexual Assault and STDs). Being positive for
numerous different sexual diseases is really common after you are sexually

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assaulted which is why there should be no question to getting checked.

Trichomoniasis, BV, gonorrhea, and chlamydial infection are the most
frequently diagnosed infections among women who have been sexually
assaulted (Sexual Assault and STDs). Chlamydial and gonococcal
infections in women are of particular concern because of the possibility of
ascending infection (Sexual Assault and STDs).
If you were to wait to report an assault, it could decrease the chance of
the correct consequences taking place. Without accurate data on the
prevalence of sexual assault, key stakeholders, such as university officials,
are unlikely to allocate necessary resources so that prevention efforts are
encouraged and reaction services to victims are easily accessible
(Krivoshey). The initial response a victim receives is extremely important in
whether a victim seeks further assistance or blames herself for the assault
(Krivoshey). Being sexually assaulted is a serious thing, and if you keep it to
yourself that can cause trauma to yourself. However, few victims report to
the police, which, in this study included on-campus police or security
departments, off-campus local or city police, county sheriff, or state police
or other entity whose primary responsibility was ensuring the physical safety
of students (Krivoshey). Research continuously highlights that crimes,
especially sexual assault, are grossly underreported (Krivoshey).
Being able to go to a counselor when youre feeling down due to
thinking about a sexual assault gives you a warm feeling. It is therefore
imperative that counsellors remain in a position to offer a good quality of

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service to those who have been victims of such offences, and this should be
a consideration in both specialist and non-specialist centres (Doran).
Exploring the experience of sexual violence counsellors is of importance
because it is essential that, when working with clients who have suffered
such violations, counsellors - students and qualified alike - learn to adapt to
the risks inherent in the work (Doran). Also talking to a counselor changes
the state of mind the assault could have possibly put you in. Staying
hopeful, by being mindful of the positive outcomes, was also important
(Doran). Being honest about the impact of the role appeared to be of great
importance to the counsellors (Doran).
As a community that wishes to see everyone safe, we must enforce the
following steps to take care of an assault. Working with clients' experiences
of sexual violence may be a crucial area of our practice, but we perhaps
need to be more mindful of the personal and professional costs to
counsellors and find better ways of supporting them, and each other, in this
vital work (Doran). The results of this study contribute to existing
knowledge regarding the reporting procedures of sexual assault on college
campuses and can instruct universities nationwide on how to better serve
sexual assault victims (Krivoshey). If we come together we can help avoid
traumatic things from happening or eliminate what we can.

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Works Cited
Doran, Paula. "Working With Sexual Trauma." Healthcare Counselling & Psychotherapy
Journal 15.2 (2015): 12-15. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Oct. 2015
Krivoshey, Mira S., et al. "Sexual Assault Reporting Procedures At Ohio Colleges." Journal Of
American College Health 61.3 (2013): 142-147.Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Oct.
2015.
"Sexual Assault And Stds." MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report 51.18 (2002):
69. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.