Introduction
Sexual trauma can feel incredibly isolating—but you are not alone, and support is available. Whether your trauma is recent or something you’ve carried for years, healing is possible, and there are compassionate organizations across Massachusetts ready to help.
This guide offers a curated list of supportive resources and trauma-informed services across the state for women navigating life after sexual assault or abuse. I hope this list gives you a place to start and reminds you that help, healing, and hope are within reach.
Understanding Sexual Trauma
Sexual trauma is any unwanted sexual experience that causes a person to feel violated, powerless, or unsafe. It doesn’t have to involve physical violence to be deeply traumatic. What matters most is how the experience impacted your sense of control, safety, or self-worth.
For many women, sexual trauma can leave long-lasting effects that show up in unexpected ways, like trouble trusting others, feeling disconnected from your body, difficulty sleeping, anxiety in relationships, or a sense of shame that’s hard to name. These are common responses, not personal failings. Your brain and body are doing their best to make sense of a deeply violating experience.
Sexual trauma affects us emotionally, psychologically, and physically. You may find yourself:
- Avoiding intimacy or feeling anxious in close relationships
- Overwhelmed by flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive thoughts
- Struggling with self-esteem, self-blame, or guilt
- Feeling emotionally numb or “checked out”
- Carrying tension or pain in your bod
These responses are real, valid, and common. The good news is that they can change. Healing from sexual trauma isn’t about “forgetting” what happened—it’s about reclaiming control, rebuilding safety, and reconnecting with yourself on your terms.
The Scope: Sexual Trauma in Massachusetts and Nationally
While in a perfect world, there would no longer be sexual trauma, as things currently stand, survivors are many. Sexual trauma affects far more women and girls than many people realize. Let’s look at the numbers:
- More than half of all women in the U.S. have experienced some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime.
- In Massachusetts, over 21% of women have reported being raped during their lifetime, with nearly 22% having experienced intimate partner violence. Half of all women in Massachusetts will endure some form of sexual assault.
- Nearly 17% of high school girls in Massachusetts have experienced sexual violence with 11% experiencing rape—in fact, over 83% of women nationally who survived attempted or completed rape first experienced this trauma before age 25.
- Approximately 16% of women in the U.S. have experienced sexual coercion.
Trusted Resources for Support and Healing Sexual Trauma in Massachusetts
Below is a list of organizations that offer support, crisis intervention, legal advocacy, shelter, and other services for survivors. Many provide services free of charge or on a sliding scale.
1. Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)
Call: 1-800-656-4673
Services: 24/7 national sexual assault hotline, live chat, survivor stories, and local referral tools for Massachusetts-based providers.
2. Victim Rights Law Center
Services: Legal help for sexual violence survivors with trauma-informed representation, including privacy protection, safety, education, housing, financial stability, and more. Training and resources are available to share as well.
3. Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC)
Call or text: 1-877-785-2020
Services: 24/7 SafeLink hotline, legal advocacy, counseling, medical advocacy, and survivor support groups. Services are available in English, Spanish, and several other languages.
4. Pathways for Change (Central MA)
Website: https://pathwaysforchange.help
Call: 1-800-870-5905
Services: Individual counseling, support groups, legal and medical advocacy, multilingual services, and a 24-hour hotline.
5. Center for Hope and Healing (Lowell, MA)
Website: https://chhinc.org
Services: Crisis counseling, advocacy, community education, and culturally informed support services. Offers multilingual services.
6. Elizabeth Freeman Center (Western MA)
Website: https://elizabethfreemancenter.org
Services: 24-hour emergency response, counseling, shelter, legal advocacy, and financial support for survivors of sexual and domestic violence.
7. Independence House (Cape Cod)
Website: https://independencehouse.org
Services: Support for survivors of sexual and domestic violence including counseling, shelter, youth services, and court advocacy.
8. New Hope Inc. (South Central MA)
Services: Crisis intervention, housing support, trauma counseling, and prevention education.
9. The Women’s Center (New Bedford, MA)
Website: https://www.thewomenscentersc.com
Call: 1-508-999-6636
Services: Emergency shelter, 24/7 hotline, advocacy, counseling, and community outreach.
10. YWCA Northeastern Massachusetts
Website: https://ywcanema.org
Services: Sexual assault and domestic violence support services, crisis hotlines, housing, youth programming, and advocacy.
11. Safe Passage (Northampton, MA)
Website: https://safepass.org
Services: Trauma-informed counseling, emergency shelter, and legal advocacy for survivors of sexual and domestic violence.
12. The Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program at Newton-Wellesley Hospital (Newton, MA)
Services: Confidential advocacy, crisis intervention, support services, safety planning, resource navigation, and more.
13. Passageway at Brigham & Women’s Hospitals
Website: https://www.brighamandwomens.org/Departments_and_Services/social-work/passageway
Services: Offers free, confidential, trauma-informed advocacy and counseling, safety planning, support groups, and referrals for housing, legal, and medical needs. Services are available even if you haven’t left the relationship yet.
14. Violence Recovery Program at Fenway Health (Boston, Cape Cod, and Western Mass)
Website: https://www.brighamandwomens.org/Departments_and_Services/social-work/passageway
Services: Offers free, confidential, trauma-informed advocacy and counseling, safety planning, support groups, and referrals for housing, legal, and medical needs. Services are available even if you haven’t left the relationship yet.
15. North Shore Rape Crisis Center (NSRCC)
Website: https://ywcanema.org/survivor-services
Call: 1-877-509-9922
Services: Provides a 24-hour hotline, counseling, support groups, medical advocacy, aid with getting protective orders, referrals, and support with reporting to any sexual assault survivor 12 and older. Services are available in 27 cities and towns north of Boston.
The Role of Therapy in Healing from Sexual Trauma
While community resources can offer crucial support, therapy plays a unique and essential role in the healing process for survivors of sexual trauma. Working with a licensed trauma-focused therapist provides a confidential, safe, and structured environment to begin making sense of the impact trauma has had on your mind, body, and relationships.
Therapy provides:
- A safe, nonjudgmental space to process what happened.
- Skills to help regulate overwhelming emotions, manage triggers, and reduce anxiety or depression.
- A chance to rebuild trust—in yourself and in others.
- Support for improving safe relationships and setting boundaries.
- Reconnecting with your body.
- A personalized roadmap to reclaiming your sense of self and wholeness.
And, contrary to popular belief, you don’t necessarily need to relive your trauma repeatedly through talk therapy. Evidence-based modalities like Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), EMDR, and Prolonged Exposure help survivors reduce symptoms of PTSD, reframe harmful beliefs, and regain control over intrusive thoughts and memories. Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is ideal for trauma survivors because of its history of success and long-lasting results. CPT helps reduce shame, reframe unhelpful beliefs, and give survivors tools to move forward with strength, confidence, and clarity.
Whether you’re at the beginning of your healing journey or picking it back up after a pause, you deserve support that honors your experience and respects your pace.
Ready to Take the First Step?
I offer trauma-focused therapy for women in Massachusetts who are ready to start healing.
You’re not alone—and you don’t have to navigate this on your own. Together, we’ll build a space where your story is honored, your boundaries are respected, and your healing feels possible.
Book a free consultation to start healing your sexual trauma today.
