Sexual abuse or assault is challenging to understand and work through at any age.  Whether it happened years ago or recently the impact on a person's life is significant.  Speaking about sexual abuse and working through healing from it are often ongoing processes that happen at different stages and times  in a person's life.  People who experience sexual abuse address it and heal from it at different rates and in different ways.  It is essential that a therapist who works with sexual abuse survivors understand the importance of meeting an individual where ever he or she is in the process.  Patience and a pace that is set by the individual is key in helping someone work through such difficult and challenging experiences.  When a person understands and feels the support of a therapist walking through the aftermath of sexual abuse with them it can provide relief from an overwhelming sense of feeling alone.