Teen Sexual Assault Response, Recovery and Resources

Over the course of a year, we worked with a group of teens in Okanogan County who came together to show support for survivors of sexual assault, while raising awareness and educating themselves as well as others.

Take a breath.

This is not easy stuff to think. We're glad you're here. Some of the content below can be hard to read, but we hope it's helpful.

We started this group with the hopes of raising awareness in our community and schools, and we want to provide a resource for youth in our county and other areas. This website includes information on the following:

What sexual assault is
What to do immediately fallowing an assault
Your rights, reporting, and criminal justice process
Ideas for recovering from a sexual assault

There's also information on sexual assault as it relates to the LGBTQ+ community, boys, spanish speaking folks and prevention.

What is Sexual Assault?

The term sexual assault refers to sexual contact or behavior that occurs without explicit consent of the victim. Some forms of sexual assault include:

Attempted rape
Fondling or unwanted sexual touching
Forcing a victim to perform sexual acts, such as oral sex or penetrating the perpetrator’s body
Penetration of the victim’s body, also known as rape

For specific definitions for Sex Crimes and their legal consequences in Washington State go to:

Washington Sex Crimes and Punishments

Immediately Following an Assault

The experience of being assaulted can be very traumatic, but it's important to take steps that can ensure your health and safety. The first 72-120 hrs are a pivotal time to collect evidence. Please see our page on Immediate Response Steps to get details on the actions you can take after and assault.

Immediate Response Steps

Rights, Reporting and Criminal Justice

Getting support is really important, but if you are under 18 years old and decide to share what happened to you with a professional like a nurse, counselor, social worker, teacher, or even a volunteer at a camp or school, they will need to contact the police.

However, you decide how much information you want to share. This will determine how involved the police will get. Sometimes making a report is a good first step in getting the help you need like counseling or other services.

If you have questions about reporting please get in touch with someone from Room One or the Support Center. They can help you understand what information will result in a call to the police.

Recovering from Sexual Assault

The trauma that is experienced after being sexually assaulted can be a lot to handle on your own. Trauma can make us act in ways that feel out of our control, but there are many proven ways that someone suffering from trauma can feel calm, focused, and even hopeful.

If you'd like to the ways we have coped with stressful and traumatic experiences check out our list here:

[Draft Trauma Coping List in progress]

You can also reach out to Room One or the Support Center to get connected to a mental health counselor who can support you on your path to healing.

LGBTQ support

Support for boys

Spanish Speaking

Prevention