Talking to a counselor
Regardless of when a sexual assault occurred or whether the survivor wants to report the assault, she or he will probably benefit from talking to a professional counselor. There are several free, confidential counseling options available to Northwestern students. "Confidential" means that counselors are not required to report the sexual assault incident to University Police as many other campus staff are.
A counselor's job is to listen to a survivor and help them work through any anger, pain, sadness, relationship issues, or negative coping mechanisms that may be related to the assault. Sometimes these effects are felt by the survivor long after the assault happened. It is never too late to get counseling, even if an assault happened months or years ago.
On-Campus
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) [http://www.northwestern.edu/counseling/] and the Women's Center [http://www.northwestern.edu/womencenter/] provide free, short-term, confidential counseling services for students.
Off-Campus
Some students may not feel comfortable accessing on-campus resources due to concerns about privacy or other reasons. If you or a friend are reluctant to seek help on campus, explore independent counseling options; that the survivor eventually accesses support services is more important than where he or she gets them. Porchlight Counseling Services [http://www.porchlightcounseling.org/] in Evanston and Rape Victim Advocates [http://www.rapevictimadvocates.org/] in Chicago both provide free, short-term counseling options.
