The Impact of Sexual Assault Sexual assault is defined as “Forced sexual activity, an attempt at forced sexual activity, or unwanted sexual touching, grabbing, kissing, or fondling” (Perreault, & Brennan, 2010). It is an event that causes significant short and long-term impact for many victims. It is important to recognise that just as the nature of the assault is highly variable, so is the emotional response to sexual. Individual characteristics (personal resilience and resourcing), assault characteristics (level of violence and the nature of relationship with the perpetrator), and personal trauma history can all influence the impact of sexual assault for the victim (Baker et al., 2012; Starzynski & Ullman, 2014). Some victims experience little or no psychological impact while others will experience a significant disturbance of emotional and psychological wellbeing and daily function. Victims may experience an array of emotional, physical, and psychological effects of sexual assault (Baker et al., 2012; Fernandez, 2011). Victims report emotional reactions ranging from shock to denial and numbness. Many victims experience acute fear and anxiety, inability to trust others, self-blame, confusion, disorganised thinking, and a disruption in regular daily activities (Baker et al., 2012). Individuals who rely on …show more content…
The same is certainly true when counselling victims of sexual assault. Evidence indicates that early access to supportive counselling post-assault can reduce the severity and duration of the negative emotional, functional, and psychological effects of sexual assault (Fernandez, 2011; Starzynski & Ullman, 2014). With this in mind, victims of sexual assault have a right to unhindered access to the best possible services to offset the potential for enduring adverse effects after an