Sexual trauma is the psychological trauma associated with sexual assault or sexual harassment. Sexual trauma can have profound effects on an individual, causing emotional issues throughout many aspects of their lives.  The effects of sexual trauma can have a profound effect on an individual’s behavior, personal relationships, and the overall quality of life.  This trauma can be treated and can help victims go on to live happy, normal lives.
One way to treat sexual trauma is through support groups.  A support group is a group of people who have had similar traumatic experiences.  These people get together to help each other deal with the trauma and provide a safe and comfortable place for recovery. People can talk about their experiences and what they’ve done to recover from their trauma.  Typically, this not only helps the person talking but is also comforting to the rest of the group.  Overall, a support group can be a great way to address sexual trauma and help not only yourself but other recover.

Another way to treat sexual trauma is psychotherapeutic intervention. This is therapy intended to address the anxiety associated with sexual trauma as well as self-worth issues.  Many people suffering from sexual trauma have anxiety issues that need to be addressed.  These issues can often be resolved through therapy.  Issues with self-worth are also an issue for people with sexual trauma.  Often, the self-worth of an individual is affected under these circumstances.  Because of this, therapy is sometimes needed to get over these feelings and get a person back to feeling better about them self.

One other way to treat sexual trauma is with psycho pharmacological intervention. This is where you identify and treat the symptoms with medication.  This alleviates the symptoms of sexual trauma and can help people live normal, functional lives. There is a downside to treating with medication.  First, it does little, if anything, to address the trauma.  The trauma has to be addressed to permanently alleviate symptoms.  So, without addressing the trauma, one would have to take medication indefinitely.  Also, medication can have side effects.  While the side effects are likely not as severe as the trauma symptoms, they can take a physical toll. 

Many professionals in the mental health arena and ministers alike agree that the spiritual component of a person’s struggles must be addressed as well as the mental and emotional aspects. A faith-based approach that incorporates biblically based counsel often claims to address all aspects of the person by encouraging the person to find freedom and redemptive grace in Christ that helps relieve them of their inward trauma due to sexual assault or harassment.