Are you feeling alone and that those around you just don’t get it? Does it feel as though your life has changed and things will never be the same again? These are some of the questions that survivors and those supporting someone who has experienced sexual violence may ask themselves. If you can’t speak to anyone, speak to us.
Our counselling aims to help you feel safe, supported, respected, and able to make informed decisions.
Anyone from the age of 14 years and upward who is affected by sexual violence – survivors and the people supporting them. Everyone is welcome regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
The decision to come for counselling is completely your own. Some people come immediately after experiencing sexual violence and others come months or years later. When you feel you need help we are here to support you.
Rape Crisis offers confidential counselling, free of charge.
Monday – Thursday, 09h00 – 16h30 and Friday, 09h00 – 15h30.
We offer counselling in English, Afrikaans or Xhosa at our offices in Observatory, Athlone or Khayelitsha.
We also offer advice and counselling over the phone via our 24/7 helplines:
Observatory: 021 447-9762
Khayelitsha: 021 361-9085
Athlone: 021 633-9229
Email: communications@rapecrisis.org.za
Everyone copes with trauma differently. We cannot tell you exactly how you will feel or should feel if you have been raped, but we can tell you what we have learnt from other survivors. By describing the feelings and coping mechanisms of other survivors, we hope to help you understand what you might be going through.
At Rape Crisis, we have developed a counselling approach that empowers survivors and encourages them to play an active role in their paths to recovery. Our counsellors are trusted allies and empathic witnesses to our survivors and their stories. Rape is an act of violence; victims are powerless to stop what is happening.
As a response to being raped, a survivor may experience physical, behavioural, psychological, and/or emotional symptoms. The physical symptoms are sometimes only noticeable to survivors themselves. The behavioural symptoms are something that you, as a supporter, may be able to observe.
