| Course | PAC 410 Crisis Intervention and Prevention |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 5 |
| Paper type | Sexual assault crisis paper |
| Length | About 1,085 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Psychology and Addiction Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PAC 410 Module 5
"I Shouldn't Have Been Drinking": A Crisis Response to Sexual Assault That Rejects Blame and Keeps Every Choice With the Survivor
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
PAC 410: Crisis Intervention and Prevention
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
"I Shouldn't Have Been Drinking": A Crisis Response to Sexual Assault That Rejects Blame and Keeps Every Choice With the Survivor
Kara called a little after nine on a Sunday morning. She was twenty, a sophomore at a college near Poughkeepsie, and she called the crisis line because she did not know whom else to tell. At a party the night before, she had drunk several shots. She remembered going upstairs with a classmate she knew from a lab section, and then she remembered waking in an unfamiliar room, in pain, with her clothes disarranged. She had walked back to her dorm and had not showered. "I shouldn't have been drinking," she said several times. "I don't even know what happened." This paper describes the counselor's response, set at the crisis service invented for this course. Kara is a composite written for teaching, and the research is real.
What Survivors Experience
Rothbaum et al. (1992) followed women who had been raped, assessing them weekly beginning soon after the assault. In the first weeks, nearly all reported symptoms of posttraumatic stress, such as intrusive memories, avoidance and heightened arousal. Over the following months, symptoms declined for many women, and at about three months roughly half still met criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder. Women whose symptoms did not decline in the first month were more likely to have persistent PTSD. The findings show that intense early reactions are common and, for many, ease with time, while a substantial minority develop lasting problems.
For Kara, this means her shock, confusion and fear are expected responses, and it means that monitoring how she is doing over the following weeks matters.
The Power of Others' Reactions
Ullman and Filipas (2001) surveyed women who had been sexually assaulted about their disclosures and the reactions they received. Negative social reactions, such as blaming the survivor, treating her differently, taking control of her decisions or distracting her from talking about the assault, were associated with more severe posttraumatic stress symptoms. Positive reactions, such as emotional support, were less strongly protective than negative reactions were harmful. The findings suggest that the first responses a survivor receives matter, and that blame is particularly damaging.
When Systems Harm
Campbell (2008) reviewed research on rape survivors' experiences with the legal, medical and mental health systems. Many survivors who sought help from police or hospitals experienced what researchers have called secondary victimization: being doubted, blamed, questioned insensitively or turned away. Those who had such experiences reported more psychological distress. Survivors who had the support of a rape crisis advocate during medical and legal procedures received more services and reported less distress. Campbell argued that systems should be reformed and that advocates play an important protective role.
The Call
| Moment | Kara | Counselor |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | "I don't know what happened. I think something bad." | "I'm really glad you called. You don't have to know everything to talk to me." |
| Self-blame | "I shouldn't have been drinking." | "Drinking at a party isn't a reason for anyone to hurt you. What happened is not your fault." |
| Safety now | Alone in her dorm room | Asks whether she is safe and whether the classmate lives nearby |
| Medical needs | In pain; has not showered | Explains that a medical exam can check for injury and prevent infection, and that she can decide about evidence |
| Options | "Do I have to call the police?" | "No. That's your decision. I can tell you about your options so you can choose." |
| Support | Has a close friend down the hall | Asks whether she would like her friend with her |
Options
The counselor explained Kara's options without urging any one of them. She could go to the hospital for a medical exam, which would check for injuries, offer medication to prevent pregnancy and infection and, if she chose, collect forensic evidence, ideally within several days; not showering preserved that option. She could have evidence collected without deciding now whether to report to police. She could report to police, to her college's Title IX office or to neither. A rape crisis advocate could meet her at the hospital and stay with her through the exam and any interviews. The counselor also mentioned that alcohol in her system would not change her right to an exam or to report, and that some memory gaps are common after drinking.
Kara decided to go to the hospital with her friend and to have an advocate meet them. She was not ready to decide about reporting.
If Symptoms Persist
Resick et al. (2002) compared two treatments for women with chronic PTSD after rape. Cognitive processing therapy helps survivors examine and change beliefs about the assault, such as self-blame, while prolonged exposure helps survivors gradually confront memories and situations they avoid. Both treatments substantially reduced PTSD and depression compared with a waiting-list condition, and the gains were maintained at follow-up. The two treatments performed similarly overall, with some advantages for cognitive processing therapy on guilt-related beliefs. For Kara, whose self-blame is prominent, cognitive processing therapy may be a good fit if her symptoms continue beyond the first month.
Why the Response Matters
The minutes after a disclosure can shape how a survivor understands what happened. If Kara's first listener had asked how much she drank or why she went upstairs, she might have concluded that her self-blame was right, a pattern Ullman and Filipas link to worse symptoms. Instead she heard, in the first two minutes, that what happened was not her fault and that every decision would be hers. That message does not erase the trauma, but it removes an additional burden, and it makes it more likely that she will seek further help when she needs it.
Follow-Up
With her permission, the counselor called Kara two days later. She had had the exam with the advocate present, had not reported and was staying with her friend. She was not sleeping well and was avoiding her lab section. The counselor reviewed what to expect, encouraged her to contact the campus counseling center and arranged a further call in two weeks, when her symptoms would be reassessed.
Conclusion
Kara called confused and blaming herself. Rothbaum and colleagues show that her reactions are common and often ease, Ullman and Filipas show that blame from others worsens symptoms, Campbell shows why advocates matter in medical and legal settings and Resick and colleagues show that effective treatment is available if symptoms persist. A response that rejects blame, offers clear information and keeps every decision with Kara supports her recovery from the first call.
References
Campbell, R. (2008). The psychological impact of rape victims' experiences with the legal, medical, and mental health systems. American Psychologist, 63(8), 702-717. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.63.8.702
Resick, P. A., Nishith, P., Weaver, T. L., Astin, M. C., & Feuer, C. A. (2002). A comparison of cognitive-processing therapy with prolonged exposure and a waiting condition for the treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder in female rape victims. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70(4), 867-879. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.70.4.867
Rothbaum, B. O., Foa, E. B., Riggs, D. S., Murdock, T., & Walsh, W. (1992). A prospective examination of post-traumatic stress disorder in rape victims. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 5(3), 455-475. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.2490050309
Ullman, S. E., & Filipas, H. H. (2001). Predictors of PTSD symptom severity and social reactions in sexual assault victims. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 14(2), 369-389. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011125220522
Reading the PAC 410 Module 5 assignment instructions
Sexual assault is the fifth module of PAC 410, and assignments typically ask how to respond to a survivor in the hours and days after an assault and what help is available later. Treat Aspen's Module 5 instructions as the guide; Kara is invented. Explain the expected course of trauma reactions. Present research on how others' reactions to disclosure affect recovery. Address the survivor's experience with medical and legal systems. Show the response in a structured way, especially how you respond to self-blame. Lay out options without pressure. Describe evidence-based treatment if symptoms persist, citing each study in APA 7. Check whether the survivor is safe from the person who assaulted her. Plan a follow-up call, with permission, to see how symptoms are changing.
How this PAC 410 Module 5 example is built
Kara drank at a party, remembers going upstairs with a classmate and woke in pain; she has not showered and does not know whether to tell anyone. Rothbaum and colleagues' Journal of Traumatic Stress study shows how common early symptoms are and how often they fade. Ullman and Filipas's article in the same journal shows that blaming reactions harm. Campbell's American Psychologist review describes secondary victimization and the value of advocates. A six-row table follows the call. Options include a forensic exam within the time window, reporting or not reporting and campus resources. Resick and colleagues' comparison of two trauma therapies supports later treatment if symptoms persist, with a check-in at two weeks.
PAC 410 Module 5 rubric: what earns full marks
Sexual assault crisis papers earn credit for a nonblaming response, accurate information about the course of symptoms and options presented without pressure. This example answers Kara's self-blame directly and early, which Ullman and Filipas's findings show matters. It presents the forensic exam and reporting as her choices, with the information she needs to make them, and uses Campbell's review to explain why an advocate helps. Rothbaum and colleagues' findings let the counselor tell Kara that her reactions are common and often ease. The treatment section describes effective options without implying that she must use them, and the paper uses the language of survivorship throughout. Follow-up is arranged with her consent.
Common PAC 410 Module 5 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Sexual assault papers often focus on what the survivor should do, such as report to police. Present options and support the survivor's choices. Respond to self-blame directly; alcohol does not make an assault the survivor's fault. Explain the course of trauma reactions honestly: they are common and often ease. Address the medical exam, its time window and what it involves. Recognize that legal and medical systems can harm survivors and that advocates help. Describe evidence-based treatment for persistent symptoms. Protect confidentiality and explain its limits. Avoid graphic detail in your writing, and check whether the survivor is safe from the person who assaulted her. Mention the time window for a forensic exam.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More PAC 410 and Psychology and Addiction Studies sample papers
- PAC 410 Module 1: Crisis Theory and Intervention Models
- PAC 410 Module 2: Suicide Assessment and Intervention
- PAC 410 Module 3: Homicide Threats and Violence
- PAC 410 Module 4: Intimate Partner Violence
- PAC 410 Module 6: Bereavement, Grief and Loss
- PAC 410 Module 7: Substance-Related Crises
- PAC 410 Module 8: Disasters, Mass Violence and Community Prevention
- PAC 230 Module 4: Pain and Its Management
- PAC 330 Module 8: Family Treatment Methods
- PAC 320 Module 1: The History and Theory of Addiction
- PAC 120 Module 3: Attending, Observing and Questioning
PAC 410 Module 5 questions, answered
What does PAC 410 Module 5 usually ask for?
Aspen's PAC 410 covers sexual assault and abuse in this module, so responding to a survivor in the first days and describing later help is typical. Read your Module 5 prompt.
How common is PTSD after sexual assault?
Rothbaum and colleagues found most survivors had posttraumatic stress symptoms in the first weeks, and about half still met criteria three months later.
How do other people's reactions affect survivors?
Ullman and Filipas found that negative reactions to disclosure, such as blame, predicted more severe posttraumatic stress symptoms.
Where can I find a free PAC 410 Module 5 sample paper?
The full paper is posted above: a crisis response to sexual assault that rejects blame and keeps every choice with the survivor.
What treatments help survivors with PTSD?
Resick and colleagues found that cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure both substantially reduced PTSD in women who had been raped.