*Special thanks to Robin Nance for connecting us with many of these resources
The following list of resources has been collected from a number of sources for members and community stakeholders who want to help advocate for individuals who may be struggling with mental health issues, trauma, or surviving abuse.
A group of volunteers is also collecting local, community resources for many of our chapter communities. If you have a resource you think should be included on this list, please submit that resource here and it will be considered it for inclusion:
https://www.usbgfoundation.org/beap
Financial assistance grants for bartenders in need of emergency aid in times of crisis.
https://nwlc.org/about/nwlc-legal-network/
In response to extensive and unprecedented threats to women’s rights, the National Women’s Law Center is launching the first national legal network to combat sex discrimination faced by women and girls. The Legal Network will provide information enabling those facing sexual harassment and other forms of sex discrimination to connect with the legal resources they need to fight back. It has recruited more than 700 attorneys from across the country who stand ready to provide at least one free legal consultation and, when appropriate, represent women and girls who experience sex discrimination on the job, at school, and in the health care system. The Center is assembling the infrastructure for the Network and will continue to expand — with the goal of attorneys participating in every state.
212-714-1141
The Anti-Violence Project (AVP) offers free, bilingual (English/Spanish), 24-hour, 365-day-a-year crisis intervention and support to LGBTQ and HIV-affected survivors of any type of violence, as well as to those who love and support survivors, including those who have lost a loved one to violence. Callers receive immediate crisis counseling and safety planning, as well as access to ongoing counseling, advocacy, and onsite legal services. AVP may also be able to accompany you to court or to the police.
1-866-FOR-LIGHT (866-367-5444)
Darkness to Light offers local information and resources about sexual abuse. You can also text ‘LIGHT’ to 741741 for crisis support with a trained counselor. These services are 24/7, free of charge, confidential, and will be answered by a trained information and referral representative. Helpline availability varies according to state and call center. Darkness to Light also has resources for reporting child sex abuse and human trafficking.
800.214.4150
If you’re 24 years old or younger and have experienced sexual trauma and/or domestic violence, you can call Day One’s free and confidential hotline, available in English and Spanish, or text 646-535-3291 to ask for help and resources. They provide additional services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/gender non-conforming, queer, and questioning youth who are struggling with intimate partner abuse, as well as legal services.
If you live in New York, you can also use Day One's Direct Services Program, which provides free and confidential counseling, case management, and legal advice, information, and direct representation.
1-866-331-9474
Loveisrespect is a project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and Break the Cycle and is a fantastic resource for advice and info on healthy dating. Its mission is to empower youth and young adults to prevent and end abusive relationships. Peer advocates can be reached 24/7 via phone, online chat, or text (“loveis” to 22522). They offer help for safety planning, support systems, self-care, abuse on campus, calling the police, documenting abuse, and obtaining a restraining order. They offer guidance for LGBTQ survivors and undocumented survivors as well.
1-855-4VICTIM (1-855-484-2846)
The center’s VictimConnect Resource Center is a place for victims of any crime nationwide to learn about their rights and seek out resources, including legal aid, advocacy, and treatment.
1-800-799-7233
The National Domestic violence hotline is free, confidential, and available 24/7/365 in English and Spanish. On the website, there’s a chat function that’s also available all day, every day, as well as a wealth of resources with info for state coalitions, counseling services, shelters, and legal aid. There’s also a library of articles about healthy relationships, boundaries, recognizing abuse, and talking to teens about domestic violence.
The nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE (4673), online.rainn.org / rainn.org/es) in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense.
1-800-621-HOPE (4673)
Safe Horizon has a free, 24/7/365, confidential national hotline in English and Spanish for domestic violence survivors; rape, incest, abuse, and sexual assault survivors; and victims of other violent crimes. Counselors are available to talk about your situation (whether it’s recent or not), as well as help you figure out the next steps, whether that’s in the form of counseling, legal aid, safety planning, or finding a shelter. They can also help you find in-person counseling, group therapy, legal aid, and other resources, and if you are based in New York, you can receive in-person services at their offices in Brooklyn and Harlem, by appointment.
You can search for a qualified cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) provider, an evidence-based method for treating PTSD, using their search engine, which can help you find someone in your area. The website also has great information on these therapeutic approaches, so you can learn more about treatments that might appeal to you.
This is a web resource with excellent information on PTSD, including the most effective treatments and what they entail. Although it’s geared toward veterans, you don’t need to be a vet to use it.
SCESA has an excellent resources page for women of color looking for treatment centers and organizations dedicated to serving sexual assault survivors near them. The site also offers music, film, and book recommendations. SCESA is an advocacy organization working on policy change, collaboration with other social justice movements, community awareness, and a number of other advocacy tactics.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/groups
You can use the Psychology Today support group search to find sexual trauma support group therapy near you.
http://www.thebreathenetwork.org/
The Breathe Network connects sexual trauma survivors to practitioners who offer sliding-scale, trauma-informed, holistic healing arts and support, including acupuncture; massage and cranial-sacral massage; somatic therapy; sound healing; yoga, hypnotherapy; dance, art, music, and color therapy; feng shui; Rolfing; and EMDR. They offer a range of information for survivors of sexual violence related to understanding how the holistic healing arts can facilitate healing. They also have a helpful list of emergency resources available both over the phone and online, as well as recommended organizations and books for those pursuing alternative healing arts to complement their trauma recovery. These resources also benefit those who support survivors, whether as friends and family, or as healing arts practitioners.
Providing Community, Support & Connections for those grieving death
https://healgrief.org/
This site is a great resource for evidence-based studies about how trauma affects the brain and body, and for information on somatic (body-centered) therapy approaches to recovery. You can also use their directory to find somatic therapists specializing in trauma recovery.
Founder and medical director of the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute, Bessel van der Kolk, is an internationally recognized researcher and practitioner of somatic-based therapy for trauma survivors. The center offers a number of outpatient medical services for clients seeking therapeutic treatment.
If you’re not in MA, you can use their directory to search out a somatic therapy provider near you. The Trauma Center’s website also has a treasure trove of trauma and somatic-approach recovery research and offers somatic therapy trainings for therapists, counselors, healers, and yoga teachers.
Exhale to Inhale empowers those affected by domestic violence and sexual assault to transform their lives. ETI employs the healing practice of trauma-informed yoga to empower survivors while helping communities develop skills and knowledge to support them. Exhale to Inhale provides free weekly yoga classes at domestic violence shelters and community centers in NY, CT, and LA. They also offer trauma-informed yoga teacher training.
http://www.zabieyamasaki.com/about/transcending-sexual-trauma-through-yoga/
Zabie Yamasaki, founder of this organization, offers private and group yoga classes for sexual trauma survivors; an eight-week "yoga as healing series for survivors of sexual trauma," which can be done in-person or online; as well as trauma-informed yoga teacher training.
She is also known for her intensive and loving retreats, which are held all over the country. Her website has very helpful information about mindfulness, self-care, integration, and what exactly trauma-informed yoga is about and how it can help. Yamasaki’s Instagram is full of book recommendations, tips, and quotes for transcending trauma.
http://www.traumasensitiveyoga.com/
This is David Emerson’s center for trauma-sensitive yoga, and the website offers a search function to help you find certified trauma-sensitive yoga facilitators worldwide. There are also links to resources, books, and research on this method of trauma treatment. TCTSY also offers trainings and a number of other events and workshops.
https://www.assistancedogsinternational.org/
Assistance Dogs International is a coalition of nonprofit assistance dog organizations that help individuals find a dog to match their needs.
Alliance of Therapy Dogs is a national therapy dog registry and can assist those in certifying their potential therapy dog.
If you like horses, even if you’ve never touched one, this might be an interesting approach to take. (If nothing else, you get to hang out with a horse, after all). Inspired by the far-reaching branches of Dr. Peter Levine’s approach to somatic therapy and trauma recovery, EQUUSOMA works with human clients in equine-facilitated interventions to guide equine-based activities and facilitator interactions so that they don’t inadvertently overwhelm or retraumatize clients.
Horses have a complex nervous system, much like humans, and are very sensitive to their human partners, so working with horses allows the participants to be more aware of both their reactions and the horse’s. The idea is to stay with the experience; care for yourself and the animal; and integrate that compassion, healing, and self-awareness.
https://www.pawsitivityservicedogs.com/
Pawsitivity is a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing dogs and training them as service dogs for people with PTSD and other conditions.
https://www.sheherdpower.com/foundation/
The SheHerdPower Foundation is dedicated to providing free equine-guided empowerment services to women survivors of sexual trauma. The programs are weekend-long experiences in which "participants engage in a variety of personal development and somatic empowerment experiences as a group, which includes on-the-ground immersion with horses. While the process occurs in a group setting, personal disclosure is not a requirement, and the process is highly supportive of personal evolution and growth."
http://www.arttherapyblog.com/
Art Therapy Blog is full of articles and resources for art therapy for adults and children, and specialized projects and research for a number of audiences, ranging from trauma to autism. If you’re interested in research and projects, you can try these yourself or with a counselor, therapist, or group.
1in6 is a resource for men who have experienced unwanted or abusive sexual experiences. They offer recovery information for men, men’s stories of trauma and recovery, 24/7/365 online chat support with trained advocates through their website, and anonymous online support groups facilitated by a professional counselor. Support groups meet every Monday and Wednesday.
Forge is a Milwaukee-based organization dedicated to advocating for and protecting the lives of transgender/non-binary people and their loved ones. If you are a trans survivor of sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, or hate violence, you can email AskFORGE@forge-forward.org or call their hotline at (414) 559-2123 for information, resources, and referrals to providers in your area. Forge’s website also offers a peer support listserv, online Writing to Heal courses, conferences, and workshops.
https://www.malesurvivor.org/index.php
Male Survivor is a collection of resources and articles for men who have experienced sexual trauma, as well as a forum for men to discuss trauma and recovery. Resources include a therapist directory to help find therapists who specialize in treating male survivors of sexual trauma; a support group directory; peer support guide; male survivor forum; resources directory; healing events; and the HopeHealingSupport Team, who are available by email to answer any questions survivors may have.
The NSVRC offers up-to-date research and resources on sexual-violence recovery, including news, projects, special collections, publications, and a library. They also offer a very helpful database for survivors seeking help in the form of individual or group counseling, support groups, community outreach, advocacy, and more.
"NSVRC enjoys a strong partnership with state, territorial, and tribal anti-sexual assault coalitions and national allied organizations. This online directory highlights those organizations and projects working to eliminate sexual violence." You can search by state to help find resources near you.
https://www.protectourdefenders.com/
Protect Our Defenders (POD) is the only national organization solely dedicated to ending the epidemic of rape and sexual assault in the military and to combating a culture of pervasive misogyny, sexual harassment, and retribution against victims.
POD supports survivors of military sexual assault and sexual harassment, including service members, veterans, and civilians assaulted by members of the military. Resources include hotlines you can call, applications for free legal services, directories for local services, peer-to-peer support, resource libraries, and forums.
This resource is not a replacement for therapy, but rather an online space for survivors of a very specific kind of sexual abuse or trauma to share and validate their experiences with each other as peers. Survivorship has yearly conferences and video resources, and for membership access, which costs "$75 down to what you think you can pay," which will provide you with updates every other month with news of the organization, national events, and news articles for survivors. Two times per year, you will receive their journal, which contains many articles, poems, and artwork by survivors, therapists, family or friends of survivors, and other supporters. You will also be able to use the members-only section of the website.
https://www.therefuge-ahealingplace.com/
The Refuge offers a Rape-Related Trauma Treatment and Rehab Center for rape and sexual assault survivors. This residential treatment center, located in Florida, offers a number of therapeutic approaches to healing sexual trauma, including exposure therapy (specifically, recalling painful memories in a safe environment with a professional), interpersonal therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and intensive family therapy.
Experiential therapy is also a large part of their approach and can include dramatic experiencing, hypnosis, art therapy, a ropes course, equine therapy, creative expression, group sharing, music therapy, and journaling. The Refuge is surrounded by beautiful nature, and in their spare time, clients are welcome to play sports, fish, hike, and enjoy the grounds.
Whether you’re afraid to tell people how you feel, or you tell people how you feel a little too vehemently, this book is helpful. Rosenberg explores relationships, needs, and practical communication techniques, as well as tips for understanding other people better. Using this guide, you can learn how to speak to yourself and others from a place of love, and how to have clearer and calmer conversations with everyone in your life. (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Ourselves-Whole-Creativity-Recover/dp/163353619X
This is a book of essays, encouragements, exercises, and stories for sexual trauma survivors who "want to risk writing a different story." Geared toward people who would like to write about their experiences without retraumatizing themselves, this book aims to help those who would like to use writing as a joyful and transformative healing tool. (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Acceptance-Workbook-Anxiety-Commitment/dp/1572244992
Using acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), this workbook will help you move through your anxiety and fear with awareness and without judgment. The book comes with bonus worksheets and guided mindfulness meditations. (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Trauma-Recovery-Aftermath-Violence-Political/dp/0465087302
Judith Herman’s trauma research, particularly sexual trauma and healing, was groundbreaking when it was new on the scene in the 1990s and has remained relevant and insightful since. This is an excellent tool for understanding the social content of trauma; Herman shows parallels between the trauma of war and the trauma of childhood sexual abuse, and what people need in order to heal. (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Assumptions-Towards-Psychology-Trauma/dp/0743236254
This is for the survivor who wants to understand how perceptions about the self, world, and other people are formed after trauma, and how to change them. Think of it as real-life applied psychology. (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Cyberstalker-Prevent-Cyberabuse-Stalking/dp/0692894209
Moore, a survivor of domestic abuse and cyberstalking-turned-leading lawyer and cyberstalking authority, has written this practical guide to help people prevent and escape cyberabuse and cyberstalking. (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Way-through-Anxiety-Chronic-ebook/dp/B005JFB3R0
This book uses clinically tested mindfulness practices to help readers meet their anxiety with clarity and compassion. There is also a helpful workbook you can purchase separately, and access to audio material through the website. (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Why-Does-He-That-Controlling/dp/0425191656
If you’ve ever known that a relationship didn’t feel right but you weren’t sure if it was abuse, then this could be helpful for you. Bancroft looks at the many types of abuse and the ways that the victim can be gaslit into thinking that they are somehow responsible or capable of changing the abuser’s behavior.
https://www.amazon.com/Courage-Heal-Survivors-Sexual-Anniversary/dp/0061284335
Often referred to as the bible of childhood sexual abuse recovery, this book is a manual of healing, much loved through all of its additions by survivors and therapists alike. The latest editions contain up-to-date research about trauma, healing tools and methodologies, a more diverse array of survivor voices, encouraging check-ins with survivors well into their recovery, and more. (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Dance-Anger-Changing-Patterns-Relationships/dp/B002ADZZZK
This very popular guide is meant to help women navigate, process, and express their anger in healthy ways rather than repressing it, as society so often tells women to do. Lerner helps the reader recognize unhealthy relationship patterns, internal and interpersonal emotional patterns, and change them into a happier relationship with one’s self and others. (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Victims-No-Longer-Classic-Recovering-ebook/dp/B00ICPUWJO
This is one of the classic resources for male survivors of sexual abuse, now updated with current research on trauma and recovery, an examination of cultural attitudes toward male sexual abuse and incest survivors, practical and compassionate advice for healing, and personal narratives. (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Queering-Sexual-Violence-Anti-Violence-Movement/dp/1626012733
This is a collection of racially diverse voices across the gender spectrum from within the anti-violence movement. This book moves beyond dominant narratives of sexual violence and centers the experiences, and spotlights 37 deserving stories of trauma, activism, and empowerment. (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Queer-Transgender-Resilience-Workbook-Orientation/dp/1626259461
This workbook offers advice and exercises for the LGBTQI+ reader to work through the trauma of discrimination, violence/sexual violence, loss, family rejection, and more, and find healing, resilience, and confidence within themselves. (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Beginning-End-Rape-Confronting-Violence/dp/0816696330
If it would be empowering for you to read a searing account of colonialism, how sex trafficking and abuse of Native women continues, and ways for the tribal nations to seek redress, then this is a great book for you. Deer is a powerful activist and writer addressing real, ongoing issues of sexual violence against native women and seeking solutions. (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Decolonizing-Trauma-Work-Indigenous-Strategies/dp/1552666581
By looking at colonization as the first wound, Linklater contextualizes native trauma and speaks with ten indigenous healthcare practitioners to discuss indigenous wellness, mental illness, and recovery. This book is full of practical measures for individuals and communities who have experienced trauma and draws on indigenous cultural knowledge and worldview to inform ideas of healing, recovery, and wellness. (Amazon)
https://www.amazon.com/Will-Survive-African-American-Healing-Assault/dp/1580050808
This self-help guide is intended as a resource for African-American survivors of sexual assault, offering resources, strategies for coping, prayers from Black spiritual leaders in a variety of traditions, and first-person accounts. (Amazon)
Mejor sola que mal acompañada: para la mujer golpeada / For the Latina in an Abusive Relationship by Myrna M. Zambrano
Zambrano has a lot of experience working in Latin communities and helping Latinas leave domestic violence situations and navigate prejudiced and unsympathetic police, documentation issues, need for translators, how to get to a shelter and protect yourself and your children, and what the church might say. This book is a practical and compassionate guide for surviving and leaving an abusive relationship. (Amazon)
Substance Abuse Treatment: https://startyourrecovery.org/
Addiction and Rehab Programs: rehab.help.org
Addiction Rehab Centers (alcohol and drugs): https://www.addictionrehabcenters.com/
Alcohol Addiction: https://rehab.help.org/guide-to-alcohol-addiction/
Alcohol Rehab: https://rehab.help.org/guide-to-alcohol-rehab/
Heroin Addiction: https://rehab.help.org/guide-to-heroin-addiction/
Heroin Rehab: https://rehab.help.org/guide-to-heroin-rehab/
Mental Illness and Drug Addiction: https://www.floridarehab.com