Supporting a student Survivor

Ways in which you can support a student Survivor:

• Educate yourself on the psychologic responses to sexual violence. Understanding the trauma response will aid in communicating and interacting with student victims.
• Understand your school’s policy on mandatory reporting, and communicate any reporting responsibilities you may have to students if they attempt to report sexual violence to you.
• If you are a mandatory reporter, provide the Survivor with alternative contacts that can ensure confidentiality with their story, if that is a more appropriate avenue.
• If a student discloses an experience of sexual violence with you it is important to remember that your reaction may heavily influence a Survivor’s next steps of healing or action.
• Notify students of mental health services offered on campus, and any accommodations they can receive at their university through the Accessibility/ Disability office.
• Inform and encourage your students to consider scholarship options with Restore Dignity
• If you are aware of any Survivors of sexual violence in your classes, offer to provide any additional academic accommodations they may benefit from (extensions on assignments, leniency on attendance, offering online options)