6 Strategies for Recovering From Sexual Assault as a Student

Balancing school and trauma recovery is an immense challenge —  but with these six strategies, you can give yourself the best chance possible of reaching your goals while tending to your emotional, physical and psychological needs.

1. Adjust expectations

After experiencing something as traumatic as sexual assault, you most likely won’t be able to keep the same pace you once could — and that’s okay. Trauma is extremely hard on the mind and body, making it much more difficult to focus and thrive as a student.

For some survivors, getting by with a passing grade might be enough. Allow yourself to adjust expectations and accept that you may not be able to reach all the same academic goals you once had in mind.

That said, you don’t have to settle for failure or resign yourself to dropping out of school. You have options for giving yourself the time you need to recover and succeed, like academic leave.

2. Consider applying for academic leave

If keeping up with school during your recovery process becomes too much to handle, consider applying for academic leave. Most colleges and universities provide some form of academic leave for students dealing with difficult circumstances like campus sexual assault.

To find out how to apply for academic leave at your school, contact the administration office.

3. Seek support

No one should have to recover from trauma alone. In fact, feeling isolated while dealing with the immediate fallout of trauma can make it significantly harder to recover. Instead, seek support when you need it by pursuing therapy, counselling, or other healing-based resources.

Therapy or counselling

Working with a therapist or counsellor is one of the best ways to move through the trauma of a sexual assault experience and find your way toward recovery. Many colleges and universities even offer free counselling services to students.

Regardless of where you seek therapy, be sure to work with someone who is experienced in providing support to survivors of sexual trauma. To help you in your search, we’ve put together a quick guide to finding a trauma-informed therapist.

Support groups

Many sexual assault survivors benefit from seeking support from fellow survivors. Your school may offer peer support groups, or you may need to seek out other options through community groups or organizations.

If there is a sexual assault resource centre or rape crisis centre in your area, they most likely host support groups for survivors. You may even be able to find free support groups online if you can’t find anything in person near you.

Peer support

The support of trusted friends and loved ones is one of the most valuable forms of support a survivor can experience. While it will most likely feel emotionally challenging to share about your experiences with those closest to you, having compassion and understanding from the people in your life can help you feel supported on your recovery journey.

Online tools

In addition to in-person support, you might also want to consider seeking out online recovery tools. Platforms like Go Thrive Go provide self-paced recovery tools for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. To learn about this affordable and accessible platform, keep reading.

4. Communicate with your professors

If you feel comfortable doing so, consider letting your professors know that you are navigating a challenging time in your life. By providing context, you may be able to collaborate to adjust deadlines or make other accommodations.

Keep in mind that you do not need to divulge any details about your experiences unless you feel called to do so.

5. Be patient with yourself

Recovering from sexual trauma is far from easy. In fact, it’s one of the more challenging experiences a person can have.

As you move through this difficult time in your life, focus on giving yourself as much patience as you can. Life will most likely look and feel very different during this time, but that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong or failing at your goals. It just means you need a little more time and grace to get back on your feet.

The process of recovering from trauma can take much longer than many people expect, so continue to give yourself patience even if you’re not recovering as quickly as you think you should. 

6. Prioritize your well-being

As you recover, make time in your week to prioritize self-care, whatever that means to you. Even though you’re most likely busy with school and work, finding ways to take good care of yourself can help you feel more balanced.

Some strategies for self-care include taking warm baths, eating nutritious food, getting regular exercise, and spending quality time with trusted friends and loved ones.

For an in-depth look at the process of recovering from sexual trauma, check out our step-by-step guide to recovering from trauma.