In Missouri, survivors have access to compassionate, trauma-informed care from a wide range of organizations that provide everything from emergency help to long-term healing and justice.
Whether the abuse happened recently or many years ago, support is here. You deserve safety, healing, and dignity. There is no wrong time to reach out.
Understanding the Impact of Sexual Assault
Sexual violence often causes far more than physical harm. It can affect a survivor’s emotional health, relationships, ability to trust, and sense of safety. Many survivors experience shame, confusion, isolation, or anxiety. These responses are natural. The abuse was not your fault.
Healing can happen. With the right support system, survivors often find strength and resilience they didn’t know they had. And it all begins with knowing where to turn.
Immediate Help: Hotlines and Crisis Support
Sometimes the most important thing is simply having someone to talk to—someone who will listen without judgment and provide immediate care and reassurance.
Here are trusted, 24-hour hotlines available across Missouri:
- RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
Call 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit rainn.org
RAINN provides a national support system that connects you to local services and offers confidential chat if speaking by phone feels too difficult. - Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (MOCADSV)
Visit mocadsv.org
MOCADSV maintains a statewide list of shelters, counseling centers, and survivor advocates throughout Missouri. - Safe Connections (St. Louis)
Call (314) 531-2003 or visit safeconnections.org
Offers crisis counseling, safety planning, and long-term support for individuals of all genders affected by sexual or domestic violence.
Hotlines are not just for emergencies. Whether you are looking for someone to talk to, want to understand your options, or just need help finding your next step, these services are here for you.
Community Advocacy and Support in Missouri
Missouri has one of the strongest survivor advocacy networks in the region. Support services extend across urban and rural areas, helping survivors of all ages.
Child Advocacy Centers
Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) provide services in a supportive environment that puts the needs of children first. These centers help coordinate medical exams, therapy, law enforcement interviews, and family support in one safe place.
- Child Advocacy Center of Northeast Missouri (CAC NEMO)
Provides forensic interviews, advocacy, and counseling for children and families dealing with abuse, focusing on Northeast Missouri. - Child Advocacy Services of Greater St. Louis
A leading agency offering trauma therapy, legal support, and community education to protect children in the St. Louis metro area. - Kids’ Harbor
Serves central Missouri and the Lake of the Ozarks region. Kids’ Harbor is known for its rapid response to abuse reports and provides therapy, victim advocacy, and forensic services in a child-friendly setting.
These centers work in partnership with law enforcement, schools, hospitals, and attorneys to ensure a coordinated and compassionate response to child abuse cases
Regional and Statewide Support Centers
Missouri is home to numerous nonprofits that offer free and confidential support for adult and adolescent survivors of sexual assault:
- MOCSA (Kansas City)
The Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault provides 24-hour crisis response, therapy, legal advocacy, and prevention education. MOCSA is a regional leader in trauma-informed services. - The Women’s Safe House (St. Louis)
Provides emergency shelter, long-term transitional housing, counseling, and advocacy services for women and children escaping sexual or domestic violence.
These centers not only offer services like counseling and court accompaniment, they also provide safe spaces to talk, to cry, and to feel believed. They understand that trauma affects every survivor differently and strive to meet each person where they are in their journey.
Legal Support: Civil Options for Survivors
Not every survivor chooses to go to the police, but every survivor has the right to explore civil legal action.
Missouri Crime Victims’ Compensation
The Missouri Crime Victims’ Compensation Program helps cover certain costs resulting from a crime. These may include:
- Medical bills
- Counseling and therapy
- Lost wages
- Funeral expenses (in homicide cases)
This program is a financial safety net, and survivors can apply even if no charges are filed against their abuser.
Filing a Civil Lawsuit
Civil lawsuits allow survivors to seek justice directly. These lawsuits are separate from criminal cases and focus on compensation for pain, emotional distress, medical costs, or lost income. Civil claims can also be brought against institutions—such as schools, religious organizations, camps, or employers—if their negligence allowed the abuse to happen.
What to Expect in a Civil Lawsuit
At O’Brien Law Firm, we take a trauma-informed approach every step of the way. Here is what the process often looks like:
- Consultation: A confidential conversation to discuss your experience and legal options. No pressure, no cost.
- Pre-suit representation: Some survivors can achieve closure by having a member of our team assert your position and demand justice on your behalf without having to file suit.
- Filing: If you decide to proceed, we prepare and file the lawsuit. You can often remain anonymous as “Jane Doe” or “John Doe.”
- Discovery: Both sides exchange information. This may include a deposition, but you will be fully supported and prepared.
- Settlement Talks: Many cases resolve without going to trial. We negotiate on your behalf, but you are in control of the decision to settle.
- Trial: We will be by your side advocating fiercely in court for justice. Survivors often receive additional privacy protections in court.
You never have to go through this process alone. Our job is to carry the legal burden so you can focus on your healing
How Civil Lawsuits Empower Survivors
A civil case gives survivors the chance to be heard, to hold someone accountable, and to regain a sense of control. It can also help prevent future harm by forcing institutions to improve their policies and protections.
Many survivors describe the experience as validating and even healing. The process is not easy, but it can be deeply meaningful. And you do not have to be alone in it.
Confidentiality and Safety
Your identity and privacy are protected. Missouri law allows survivors to file civil cases anonymously, and judges can take extra steps to shield survivors from public exposure. Our firm is experienced in requesting these protections.
The Role of Support People
Survivors often lean on a friend, therapist, advocate, or family member to walk with them through the process. Support people can attend meetings, provide emotional care, and help manage appointments. In many cases, courts allow advocates or therapists to sit with the survivor during testimony.
Healing is not something you have to do alone. And justice does not have to be a solitary fight.
Taking the First Step
It can feel scary to reach out—but you do not need to have all the answers before making that call. Whether you want to report, pursue a lawsuit, or just talk to someone about what happened, there are people here to help. We will meet you where you are and support you however we can.
You Are Not Alone
No matter how long it has been or what path you choose, you deserve care, respect, and justice. Missouri’s survivor support system is strong because it is built by and for people like you—survivors who have found their voice and now help others do the same.
At O’Brien Law Firm, we are honored to walk alongside survivors, offering compassionate guidance and strong legal representation. You do not have to carry this alone. We believe you. And we are here when you are ready.