A support system is crucial for a survivor to heal. Members in this support system can be considered “Secondary Survivors”. It may be difficult to imagine or completely understand what the survivor has gone through.The Secondary Survivors group is a peer group that aims to provide tools and resources for the secondary survivors to better understand the experience of the survivor. They have educational handouts, videos, articles, and other mediums to empower secondary survivors to better understand and cope with the incident.

While a survivor has the experience with assault, abuse, or rape, those who are supporting the survivor can experience trauma or feelings of guilt. It is possible to experience secondary trauma or a traumatic response to what someone else experienced. As a secondary survivor, you may also experience times in which you are unaware of what to do to support the survivor.