Suzanne began her journey with Partnership through the Chattanooga Police Department and Family Justice Center after having to do one of the hardest things an assault survivor can do. She had to stand up against someone she trusted after they sexually assaulted her.
After her assault, Suzanne struggled to name her experience.
“One of the challenges I had was putting a label on what happened,” she said. “I felt guilty saying I had been sexually assaulted when others have experienced more traumatic attacks.” She said that, with the help of her crisis support team through Partnership, she started to understand what had happened to her was sexual assault.
“What helped most was that she [our Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner] offered a touch DNA test,” said Suzanne, who mentioned she had no idea such a thing existed. This was when she was encouraged to bag her clothing from the assault that would then be sent to the police for evidence to support her case.
“Two days after reporting my attack, I was in front of a detective with Christina, my Crisis Advocate. She was so transparent and prepared. Days prior to this, I struggled so much that I couldn’t leave my house, but Christina was right by my side the entire time,” said Suzanne.
“Throughout the process, Christina continued to check in with me and stayed in touch with the detective for the case. When she learned I was suffering from panic attacks, she even connected me with Partnership’s free counseling services.”
“It was in counseling that Jill, my counselor, helped me accept that I was a victim of sexual assault and helped me see that I was grieving the woman I thought I would be,” she added.
Through counseling, Suzanne has made tremendous progress on her healing journey and continues to learn new skills in emotion regulation. She learned how to set effective boundaries for herself and grew her confidence to face her fears. She even started training for a triathlon and hopes to complete the Ironman!
She said that she uses training as a grounding exercise, as taught to her by her counselor. “For example, when I’m running, I feel my feet pounding against the pavement. Training for the Ironman is re-wiring my brain,” she said. “I am proud that this new passion allows me to continue to show up for myself. It helps me reclaim my body.”
