There are some truths that feel too heavy to carry alone—especially when the world around you chooses not to see them.
If you’ve experienced grooming or sexual assault in workplace, you may already know this weight. The initial trauma is devastating in itself—but the aftermath, the silence, can be just as wounding.
When the morning after is met not with care, but with avoidance. Not with accountability, but with denial.
When your pain is quietly filed away as “inconvenient,” or worse, not real.
You may have gone to work the next day like nothing happened.
You may still go to work every day, sitting beside the person who hurt you.
You may have spoken up, only to be met with blank stares or closed doors.
And that silence can be deafening.
When It Was Someone You Trusted
Grooming at work often begins as something that doesn’t seem harmful. It might look like attention, inclusion, even praise. But slowly, boundaries are blurred. Power dynamics are manipulated. You are pulled into a dynamic that leaves you confused, isolated, and unsure of how to say no.
When it escalates to sexual assault—especially under the guise of familiarity, “just flirting,” or after a work event involving alcohol—the confusion deepens:
- Did I misread it?
- Why didn’t I stop it sooner?
- Was it my fault because I didn’t scream, run, or fight back?
- Why does no one seem to care that this happened to me?
These are not questions of guilt—they are the echoes of trauma.
And no, it wasn’t your fault.
Not for trusting.
Not for being unsure.
Not for freezing.
Not for speaking up—or staying silent.
None of it was your fault.
The Hidden Impact of Assault in the Workplace
Sexual assault at work is a profound betrayal—not just of your body, but of your safety, your autonomy, and your professional dignity.
You may now find yourself:
- Feeling constantly on edge or hyperaware at work
- Avoiding meetings, emails, or even walking into the building
- Overthinking every interaction, especially with men or people in authority
- Struggling with trust, self-blame, or intense shame
- Losing confidence in your own instincts
- Feeling invisible, or like your pain doesn’t “count” if no one acknowledges it
And perhaps worst of all: being expected to carry on as if nothing happened.
Speaking Out—and Being Met with Silence
For many survivors, the decision to speak up is made after weeks, months, or even years of internal struggle. It’s not done lightly. It’s often done at great personal cost. And when that courage is met with silence—whether from HR, leadership, or colleagues—it compounds the trauma.
Silence says: We don’t believe you.
Silence says: Your pain is not worth disrupting the status quo.
Silence says: Keep quiet, or you’ll pay the price.
But here’s what I want you to know:
Your story matters.
Your voice matters.
And your healing matters.
Reclaiming Your Story in Therapy
At Past2Present counselling & psychotherapy in Cornwall , I provide a safe, confidential space to begin healing—at your pace. You don’t need to have all the answers. You don’t need to justify your pain. You only need to bring yourself, exactly as you are.
In therapy, we can:
- Explore and validate the trauma you experienced
- Work through the deep shame, anger, confusion
