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Deciding whether to share our experience after abuse or harm is a deeply personal choice. Choosing whether, how, and who to tell can be an important step in healing—but it can also feel complicated or uncertain. This guide explores what might influence that decision and offers gentle support to help us make choices that feel right and safe for us.
You’re in the right place if you’re thinking about telling someone about what happened—or you’re not sure whether you want to. Maybe you’re feeling uncertain, nervous, or even ready but don’t know where to start. This space is here to help you explore those feelings and decide what feels right for you.
Talking about what happened can bring relief, create space to express feelings, and remind us we’re not alone. It can also help us reflect, find clarity, and take back a sense of control over our story. In the course of this guide, we’ll share ways to think through your options, prepare if you decide to tell someone, and care for yourself before and after the conversation.
This guide is for anyone who has experienced abuse, assault, or another form of harm and is thinking about sharing what happened. It’s for those who want to understand their options, explore what safety and support could look like, and make choices that feel right for them. You might feel unsure, ready but afraid, or somewhere in between. Whether you decide to tell someone now, later, or not at all, this guide can help.
If you feel able then we’d love to hear from you, whatever your thoughts. You’ll find a general feedback option at the bottom of every page, and we also provide the opportunity for more detailed feedback at the end of this guide here.
This guide covers a variety of considerations when deciding whether to talk about your experience, but we understand that different people will be at different stages of the journey. Our aim has been to design it so you can get to the information you need, when you need it. You can do that via the navigation options below, or you can use our What do you need right now? selector.
Each section of the guide is on a separate page, and there are a number of ways you can find your way around:
