How to Get Help

If you have been assaulted the most important thing to do is to go somewhere safe. If you are still in danger or think the abuser might return, call 9-1-1 immediately.

Help is available to all survivors of assault. Whether the assault/abuse happened very recently or many years ago you can get help from the resources listed below. It is never too late to start the healing process or to report an assault if you choose to do so.  

If the Assault was Recent...

• If you are thinking about reporting, try not to shower or bathe to preserve evidence
• It is a good idea to seek medical attention right away if you can.
• If it is possible, bring a friend or family member with you for support.
• It is important to have an STI test done after being sexually assaulted. Accurate testing can be done about three weeks after an incident.
• If you are female, you will be given the choice to use the Emergency Contraception Pill (ECP or Morning After Pill) to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. ECP must be taken within 72 hours to prevent pregnancy.

After a sexual assault...
It is normal to feel confused, disoriented and/or numb. It may be helpful to write down any memories in case you decide to file a report later on. Reporting is 100% optional. The path of healing is unique to the survivor, there are many ways to cope with your experience.  Writing or journaling is just one coping strategy that can be very helpful.  Writing can help alleviate some of the pain and move the trauma from inside you to the external world. You don’t have to share this information with anyone if you don’t want to.

If you have been recently sexually assaulted and you live in or near Calgary you can access the Calgary Sexual Assault Team.
The team is made up of trained professionals including Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse (CCASA), sexual assault doctors and nurses and Calgary Police Services.  All of the services offered are optional based upon what the survivor feels they need in that moment. 

 Services provided if a survivor chooses to access the team:

• A crisis counsellor from Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse who will provide you with information about common reactions to sexual assault and recovery, assess your needs, inform you of reporting options, provide you with referrals, and follow up with you if you choose.
• A female doctor and nurse (if you are female) trained in sexual assault care who will examine and treat you for injuries, provide you with STD and pregnancy testing (if you are female), and follow up with results. They will also collect forensic evidence if you choose to report to the police.
• Police officers from the Calgary Police Service, the RCMP, or Tribal Police, (depending on where the assault occurred) who will take a statement from you and answer your questions regarding the investigation process.

To access the team, the survivor has to go to the Sheldon Chumir Urgent Care within 72hrs.  Sheldon Chumir Urgent Care is located on 4 Street at 12 Avenue SW. The Sexual Assault Response Team is mobile and can meet the survivor at another hospital if necessary.  Outside of the 72 hr time period, CCASA can help the survivor to access other options for medical attention. 

If you have questions about the process, how to access the services, or your rights around reporting, call CCASA's 24 hour line: (403) 237-5888.


Further Help And Resources

Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse (CCASA)
  • 24 Hour Support and Information line: 403-237-5888
  • 24 hour Toll Free (in Alberta): 1-877-237-5888
  • Free and confidential counselling
  • Police and Education Support Program
  • Information on CCASA’s services: Click here

Alberta Association of Sexual Assault Centres
(For a list of Sexual Assault Centres across Alberta and contact information).

Calgary Police Service Sex Crimes Unit
Call 403-266-1234 to speak with a police officer who is specially trained to investigate sexual assault incidents with sensitivity and respect for the victim.

Distress Centre
403-266-HELP (4357)

The Healing Process

Try to talk with someone you trust like a friend, parent, teacher or counsellor.

You can seek counselling at anytime, even if it happened a long time ago.
Sometimes people do not feel ready to talk about their assault and that is ok.  It is the survivor's choice to disclose and their choice who they want to disclose to. There are services available to support survivors and their family/friends during the time of healing. Try to remember that you are not alone. 

When ready, survivors may benefit from talking with counsellors and other supportive people who listen with compassion and no judgements. If you find that you are not able to enjoy a healthy sexual relationship or intimacy with someone else or that you have self-harming or self-destructive behaviours, then it can be helpful to talk to a supportive friend or a professional.


How to Support Someone Who Has Been Sexually Abused

If someone tells you that she/he has been sexually assaulted or abused, the most important thing you can do is listen. Tell them you believe them, thank them for confiding in you and let them know it was not their fault. It takes a lot of courage to disclose a sexual assault to someone else and it means this person trusts you.

Let the person direct the conversation and tell you as much or as little as she wants. It is normal to feel angry and upset but it doesn’t help if the conversation turns towards how you are dealing with the news and not how the person who has been assaulted is feeling. Sexual assault is an abuse of power and it is vital that the survivor feel she/he has the power of telling the story about what happened. 

Help them to report the crime if they choose to and to seek medical attention.


If I Have Been Abused in Childhood, Will I Become An Abuser?

Someone who was abused in childhood does not have to become an abuser themselves.¹ Many survivors of abuse fear that if they have children themselves, they will abuse those children. For many survivor parents, the desire to create a life free from abuse for their child is a strong guiding force that helps them to avoid recreating their own childhoods. Survivors can learn to distinguish caring touch from abusive touch and can learn to provide caring touch for their children from infancy on.

As the child grows up and reaches different developmental stages, a survivor parent may find that he or she is re-triggered or must re-work through a particular phase of healing, and it is important to watch for changes in yourself and in family relationships that might indicate some triggering has begun.

Professional and informal support can help to ensure that children do not take the brunt of the difficulty of these times of healing. If someone is experiencing impulses to abuse, has inappropriately touched his or her child, or has abused a child, that person should seek therapy immediately (and seek help for the children, if abuse has begun). It is not too late to recover and stop abusing if you have begun to. You can learn how to support your child, make necessary amends or restitution, and heal your own trauma and guilt.

With support and counselling, it is possible to heal and move forward with your life. This is your body and you have every right to feel in control of it.

1. Adapted from CSHC Reclaiming Sexuality Project.