Sexual Assault, Abuse & Trafficking

Trauma-informed mental health support for survivors of sexual assault, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking.

Surviving sexual violence or trafficking often means surviving manipulation and coercive control from a trafficker, an abuser, or a system that failed to protect you. In today’s world, the online landscape has expanded opportunities for offenders, and closer, easier access to victims. What happened to you is not your fault, no matter what you were doing, wearing, or drinking, and no matter your relationship to the person who hurt you. Recovery is not linear, and there is no wrong way to feel about what happened. Sometimes we can be ready to process these events weeks later, and other times it takes years to feel comfortable to seek support. There is no appropriate timeline to follow. Whenever you’re comfortable we’re ready to help.

We help adults and teens who are navigating current or previous:

  • Sexual assault, including recent and past experiences

  • Sex or labor trafficking and exploitation (including online platforms)

  • Grooming and coercive recruitment tactics

  • Trauma responses, including flashbacks, nightmares, dissociation, and hypervigilance

  • Disassociation after an incident

What This Might Sound or Look Like

  • A partner, boyfriend, or “manager” who promised love, a job, or a place to stay, for a quid pro quo

  • Someone else holding your phone, ID, or money “for safekeeping”

  • Being told that no one will believe you, or that you’ll be the one who gets in trouble

  • Grooming practices with youth

  • Being guilted or peer pressured into doing something

  • Threats to share photos, hurt you, or hurt the people you love if you tell anyone

  • Freezing during an assault, then later wondering why you didn’t fight back

How This Might Feel

Confused about what happened and who is to blame. Ashamed, even though none of it was your fault. Unsafe in your own body, or disconnected from it. On edge, or numb. Unsure who you can tell, or whether you’ll be believed. Many survivors freeze or go along with things to stay safe , which is a normal survival response, not consent. You might be nervous to seek support or make a report, because you know you will have to relive that event.

If any of this feels familiar, what happened to you was done to you, not a choice you made. Therapy at Solace Point moves at your pace. You are always in control of what you share and when, and our approach centers your safety, autonomy, and healing. We are aware of certain triggers for victims of sexual abuse, and will accommodate our practices to best fit your situation.

Next Steps You Can Take

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If an assault happened recently, you can get a free sexual assault medical forensic exam within five days, regardless of if you file a police report or not. including co-pays. If you can, try not to shower, change clothes, or throw anything away before the exam, but you can still get medical care even if you already have. You can ask for an advocate to be with you.

Reporting to police is always your choice, never a requirement to get support. If you decide to report later, saved texts, photos, and the names of anyone you told can help. Survivors of trafficking in Michigan may be able to have certain convictions set aside if they happened as a result of being trafficked.

Talk to a therapist trained in trauma and exploitation — you don’t need to have processed everything, or even be ready to talk about details, to start. In-person sessions are available in Plymouth, Michigan, and telehealth is available anywhere in Michigan.

Reputable Resources

Michigan VOICES4 Hotline — call or text 855-VOICES4 (855-864-2374), or chat online, 24/7

National Human Trafficking Hotline, call 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733, available 24/7

RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline, call 1-800-656-4673 or chat online

First Step, Wayne County’s domestic and sexual violence agency, based in Plymouth, MI

SafeHouse Center, serving Washtenaw County

Medical care: VOICES4 explains your forensic exam options, where to go, and who pays.

Legal and financial help: Michigan Crime Victim Compensation may help pay for counseling, medical bills, and lost wages (a police report is usually required). Trafficking survivors can use the Michigan courts’ form MC 227b to apply to set aside convictions that resulted from being trafficked. The Address Confidentiality Program, through the Michigan Attorney General, lets survivors who are relocating keep their new address off public records.

Youth: If you are under 18 and someone is pressuring you into sexual activity in exchange for money, a place to stay, or anything else, that is trafficking, and it is never your fault. Tell a trusted adult, or call or text the National Human Trafficking Hotline. If sexual images of you are being shared online, visit takeitdown.ncmec.org.

Men and boys who have experienced sexual abuse or assault can find free, specialized, anonymous support at 1in6.org.

Ready to talk? Book a free 15-minute intro call.

You may also find these pages helpful: Abusive Relationships and Sextortion.