How can a civil lawyer help with my emotional or psychological recovery after a sexual assault?

A civil lawyer can help play an important role in supporting your emotional and psychological recovery after any instance of sexual assault or rape. Though attorneys are not mental health professionals, they can provide victims with a sense of empowerment and closure. Here’s how an attorney may be able to help victims recover.

• Holding Perpetrators Accountable: Filing a civil claim can give victims of sexual abuse the ability to tell their story in an environment that is supportive. It can also help them reclaim power after trauma.
• Securing Financial Compensation: An attorney can help victims receive compensation for their physical and psychological injuries. This can be used to cover costs for therapy, lost wages, and help provide for a victim’s future needs.
• Connect you with Resources: Attorneys can help connect victims with therapists and counselors who specialize in trauma and sexual assault. Lawyers also commonly work with national survivor organizations and support groups. These organizations can be tremendously helpful to victims who are recovering from trauma.
• Providing a Supportive Legal Environment: A skilled attorney understands the highly sensitive nature of sexual assault claims. Your lawyer can help shield you from unnecessary stress by handling all communications with the perpetrator and their legal team.

Though a legal claim cannot remove the pain and suffering that victims of sexual assault have endured, it can go a long way towards empowering them and providing the support that they need to move forward.