FAQs

Understanding Interpersonal Harm and Receiving Support

If you are in immediate continued danger, call 911. 

Go to a place that feels comfortable and private for you to be able to speak freely if you are connecting with a resource via phone or virtually. Try not to bathe, douche, or change clothing immediately after the assault. It can also be helpful to preserve any physical evidence that you may have (e.g., bedding, items that the offender may have touched or drank from, condoms, etc.), placing any physical evidence that exists in a plastic trash bag/Ziploc bag for safe keeping.  

If you are in a secure space, please call us at 404-727-1514 and press option 1 for an on-call counselor/advocate. The on-call advocate will help identify immediate support options for you, including potential evidence collection and/or reporting options as well as trauma-informed medical support.  

You can also contact RAINN for a list of emergency resources near you. 

All student and non-student employees other than those designated as confidential (Office of Respect, Counseling & Psychological Services, Student Health Services, and University Clergy) are mandatory reporters. This means if they hear something, they must file a Campus Security Authority report under the Clery Act (this often happens through a Title IX report). The purpose of this is to 1. hold our institution accountable for harm that happens at our institution and 2. to make sure you know about resources for support, including but not limited to information about reporting to hold others accountable. 

Department of Title IX (DTIX) will reach out to you by email to let you know that someone filed a report and invite you in for an information session.

All counselor/advocates are licensed therapists, and as such do not share your identity or story, with the exceptions of: (1) if you or (2) someone else are in imminent danger (including a reasonable threat to the campus community); (3) if you know of a minor,) disabled or elderly person under the care of someone else who is being abused or neglected; or (4) a court order.  

Staff can discuss information that is third-party knowledge for coordination of care purposes (such as confirming with the police that they were able to connect with you if they were the ones who initiated the call, or confirm they know of a hearing date if that was set during a joint meeting). Staff will never share information that you have shared only with them without a release of information unless one of the previously mentioned limits to confidentiality is present.  

We do operate from a coordination of clinical care model, which means we can coordinate with Student Health Services and Counseling and Psychological Services seamlessly to ensure your needs are met (clinically pertinent information only). 

It is not uncommon for harmful/traumatic sexualexperiences to occur that do not meet the policy or legal definitions that can be adjudicated. This does not lessen the pain or the need for support to heal. It is also common for survivors of sexualviolence to minimize their experience/blame themselves for a harmful/abusive experience. Staff in the Office of Respect are here to help you navigate your experiences without any assigned label that is not your own. You deserve support in healing. 

If you notice signs that a relationship you are in may be unhealthy or abusive, the Office of Respect is available to confidentially discuss your situation, find support, explore options, and develop a Safety Plan, if needed. 

You can call 404-727-1514 and press option “1” for urgent crisis support 24/7, or follow the prompts for general questions or to schedule an appointment  

Email us for non-urgent needs at respect@emory.edu (we will get back to you within one business day). 

Below are some questions that may be helpful in thinking through the health of your relationship, and you can check out this Relationship Spectrum. We recommend you meet with a counselor/advocate to discuss these things further if you have concerns. 

  • Is/are my partner(s) supportive of my decisions and boundaries? Do I feel comfortable sharing my boundaries? 
  • Do I feel my partner(s) is/are consistent in their words and actions? 
  • Do me and my partner(s) feel comfortable spending time away from each other and having time for our own friends or activities? 
  • Do I feel safe to be myself and express my needs and wants around my partner(s)?

You can click this link for more detailed information about documenting online harassment. It is also recommended to schedule a meeting with a counselor/advocate to discuss your concerns and review options. 

Office of Respect Resources

The Office of Respect has two counselor/advocate staff members who are licensed therapists. They are here as:  

  • “counselors” for emotional and crisis support, ongoing individual therapy, and group therapy, and  
  • “advocates” for accompaniments to the Department of Title IX (DTIX), the hospital for forensic exams, academic advising or the Department of Accessibility Services (DAS) for academic support needs, court, and safety planning.   

Many times, students who visit the Office of Respect receive counseling and advocacy services. If you meet with the Office of Respect, a counselor/advocate can work with you to identify what types of support make the most sense for you right now. 

Staff in the Office of Respect can be reached to schedule a non-urgent appointment by emailing: respect@emory.edu, or by calling 404-727-1514 and pressing option 2. 

The Office of Respect provides services to Emory undergraduate, graduate and professional students regardless of when harm occurred. You can connect with us, and we will talk about what types of support make the most sense of you from there. 

Please see our Family and Friends: How to Support tab. 

There are many strategies you can learn to be an advocate for preventing sexual harm on campus and in your community. These include: 

  • Bystander intervention 
  • Volunteer with Sexual Assault Peer Advocates (SAPA) 
  • Read (or listen to!) Sexual Citizens to learn about your own Sexual Projects and Sexual Citizenship 
  • Get friends and peers to join you in an upcoming event  
  • Request to have Office of Respect preventionist do a training with your student group 
  • Learn from mistakes and constantly work to do better in anti-oppressive efforts in your own life, as sexual harm will only end when we respect all people fully 

Reach out to respect@emory.edu, meet with our preventionist and talk about ways to get involved with sexual and relationship harm prevention on campus.

Office of Respect and Other Emory Departments

The Department of Title IX (DTIX) is a non-confidential administrative office that facilitates administrative processes (including but not limited to reporting information and investigating complaints) and remains neutral. The Office of Respect is a confidential office that provides survivor-centered counseling and advocacy services, as well as prevention education and community engagement. 

Please know that this is a routine email that they send to anyone they learn may have been harmed. The intention is to ensure you have access to support to ensure you can continue your educational journey at Emory. 

It is important to know that because of federal regulations, the Department of Title IX (DTIX) cannot validate your experience, but will navigate connecting you with supportive measures as indicated and requested.  

The Office of Respect is copied on DTIX emails to students who may have been harmed, and Respect sends a follow up email to you to invite you in to process what happened and/or explore options confidentially. 

We hope you will connect with a counselor/advocate or another licensed therapist to process immediate trauma responses, as having a safe space to be validated is a very important first step. Everyone responds to trauma differently, and meeting with the Office of Respect does not mean that you have to or are ready to discuss the details of what happened. 

You do not have to respond to this outreach email from either of office if you do not wish to. 

While both Counseling & Psychological Services and the Office of Respect are confidential university offices that provide counseling, the Office of Respect has a narrower scope of service providing support to those who have experiences some form of sexualand/or relationship harm. The Office of Respect also provides professional advocacy services, options for counseling, and accompaniments as needed. Students who have experienced harm are encouraged to seek counseling wherever feels the most comfortable for them, and both offices work together to coordinate care as needed. 

Non-Emory Resources

We often hear various terms used to describe a person who has experienced sexualassault. Among them are “victim” and “survivor.” While people who have experienced or are experiencing sexualviolence are victims, they are also in a constant state of “surviving” the experience. The idea of survival carries within its definition the ongoing fight to live or “survive” a traumatizing experience, a process that includes dealing with a multitude of feelings and healthconsequences. Furthermore, a survivor will also have to cope with living in a society in which victim blaming is rampant.  Considering these circumstances, we refer to anyone coping with the aftermath of sexualassault or who has survived or is surviving an abusive relationship a “survivor.”