Counseling & support groups

Here for you when it feels like there’s nowhere else to turn

Aurora Health Care offers a safe haven to any person whose life has been impacted by sexual assault. In addition to emotional support for your immediate needs, our counseling services help you regain a sense of normalcy so you can live life to the fullest.

Counseling and support groups

Whether the incident happened recently or years ago, counseling can help you move forward with your life. Our services blend individual and group counseling. This approach helps you achieve greater healing benefits, including increased self-esteem and the ability to maintain healthy relationships.

• Short-term counseling: We listen carefully to anything you wish to share. We also teach you how to cope with any unpleasant feelings you may be experiencing. During short-term counseling, you work one-on-one with a trained counselor until you are ready to receive ongoing support through long-term counseling. Find out more about short-term counseling.
• Long-term counseling: We help you move forward with your life in a positive way by talking with one of our counselors and a small group of survivors. Read more about long-term support for survivors.

Specialized counseling & support groups for survivors of sexual assault

We are one of a few sexual assault treatment programs in the country run by a large integrated health system: Aurora Health Care. This relationship helps us offer many of the services you need, including short- and long-term counseling, all in one program.

Highlights of our program include:

• Expertise: Our counselors have years of experience and are fully dedicated to helping survivors move forward with their lives. In 2016, Aurora Health Care provided more than 3,000 hours of individual therapy and over 20 different support groups. This depth of experience helps you get the most out of each session.
• Unique support environment: We offer long-term counseling programs in a setting that is unlike typical therapy environments. The Aurora Healing Center on Bruce Street is a fresh, modern building with a rooftop garden, spacious therapy rooms and access to mind-body classes, like yoga. Support groups are also available in other Milwaukee-area locations. Find out more about our locations.
• Specialized support: We offer an array of counseling programs, including support groups, that meet the different needs of men and women. We also take extra steps to remove potential barriers, like transportation or child care, that could get in the way of attending counseling sessions. We also offer men-only support groups and our team includes a male counselor. Learn more about special services for survivors.

How can counseling help me?

With the help of our experts, counseling allows you to move forward in your healing journey. Find out more: Why get help?

Counseling may include:

• Discussing the ways in which you have been hurt and how the pain is affecting your life
• Recognizing feelings, which may include anger, sadness and shame, and that these are all normal reactions after sexual assault
• Learning how to be kind to yourself while finding healthy ways to cope with the pain
• Determining what you need and want in life – and how to achieve it

Start your healing journey after sexual assault

At Aurora, we make it easy to access counseling services that can make your life better. You do not need to make an appointment. You also do not need insurance. Our support services are available at no cost to you.

You can access our counseling services by:

• Calling our 24-hour crisis line at 414-219-5555
• Visiting any of our healing center locations

Maintaining your confidentiality during the healing process

We hold everything you share with us in the strictest of confidence. This policy means that we will not share anything you say with others unless you request us to do so, or we are required by law. If required, we share only the minimum necessary information and only with people who need it, like the police.

Contact us

Call our 24/7 hotline today at 414-219-5555, or connect with us via our confidential text line. 

Text 414-219-1551