5 Ways to Be There for a Friend Who’s Survived Trauma

The fact that you’re reading this means that you care, and that will mean the world to your friend. Now is the time to be there for your friend who has survived trauma and is on the road to recovery. Unfortunately, trauma can lead to years of suffering, so you must support your friend during this time.

It can be hard knowing how to approach a friend who has survived trauma, as it can be confusing knowing whether they want to talk about their issue. To help, we’ve put together a guide of five ways to be there for your friend and to show them you care.

Seek Support

It’s great that you’re supporting your friend, but sometimes they’ll need professional assistance. You can suggest mental health support, such as counseling, or a support group where they can talk to people who have been through a similar experience.

If they are a victim of a crime, such as sexual violence, then you can help them seek legal advice. You can find a sexual assault lawyer who can help your friend fight their case.

Always Listen

Your friend will need someone to talk to, so allow them to discuss their trauma with you without you changing the topic of conversation. Ask them an open-ended question that will invite your friend to discuss their experience.

Sometimes people want to be distracted and they don’t want to discuss their trauma. So, make sure you talk about other things or do activities like working out together. Allow them to talk when they want to, and be there for them when they do open up.

Validate Their Trauma

Don’t question their reality but instead validate how they’re feeling. Sympathize with their pain by verballing assuring them that their pain is valid. It’s normal to be upset after a horrific tragedy or trauma.

This will reassure them that you’re not judging them for how they are feeling after an incident. They should not feel guilty for being upset.

Check on Them

Trauma can take a long time to recover from and it can take years to move forwards. Even if months have passed from the incident make sure to check in on them and see how they’re coping with the trauma.

Survivors will often receive a lot of help immediately after an incident, but as time goes on people may neglect their needs. So, be the friend who sticks about to help them.

Don’t Be Too Positive

Sometimes it’s good to be optimistic, but when someone has experienced a horrific tragedy it’s important to accept that it’s a bad situation. You won’t be able to ‘fix’ your friends’ problems, so just be there for them rather than offering solutions.

Positivity isn’t always right in this situation, instead understand that what they’ve been through is incredibly hard. Remember to be patient as recovering can take time and many people might fluctuate in emotions.