As a Supportive Partner

• You need to be a friend she can trust, be present when she wants to talk or when she wants company. You should also respect her need for solitude.
• Being the partner of a woman who was sexually assaulted can make the couple’s relationship more difficult. But if you can pull through this ordeal, you will come out of it stronger and better.
• You may start to wonder if your partner will recover or if the relationship will stabilize. When you have doubts, it is important to acknowledge them and talk about them.
• There are no guarantees about the length of time healing will take. But if you work actively together, you can be assured that things will change. The problems you are confronting now are not exactly the same as the one’s you were confronted with six months ago or a year ago. You are not in a static situation. There will be transformation. If you consider this a long-term partnership, a few years of struggle are worth it.
• It is important for each of you to preserve your personal In a healthy relationship, each partner needs to make sure that their needs are meet.
• For the survival of the relationship, it can be helpful to talk about other subjects, share entertaining activities, enjoy time together, have time away from each other and not stay focused on the assault.
• In difficult times, you may have a tendency to concentrate on your problems and lose sight of what is fine and strong between you. Remember where you started from and the advances you have made.
• This period of change that your partner is going through can sometimes give you the impression of being in front of a different person than the one you knew. Tell her how you feel about it and also be receptive to how she feels through this troubling time. Do not forget that the key is communication.

In conclusion, do not see her as a victim, a sick person, a weak person or damaged goods but as a survivor going through difficult times. See all the courage, the determination, the force and the strength that she emanates.