Effective Strategies

Many People Have Found These Strategies Effective:

• Say NO to the harasser! Be direct.
• Write a letter to the harasser. Describe the incident and how it made you feel. State that you would like the harassment to stop. Send the letter by certified mail. Keep a copy.
• Keep a record of what happened and when. Include dates, times, places, names of persons involved and witnesses, and who said what to whom.
• Tell someone; don’t keep it to yourself. By being quiet about the harassment, you don’t help stop it. Chances are extremely good that you aren’t the only victim of your harasser. Speaking up can be helpful in finding support and in protecting others from being victims.
• Finding out who is responsible for dealing with harassment in your organization and whether you can talk in confidence to that person. Almost all organizations have sexual harassment policies, procedures and individuals or counselors who administer them.
• Find out what the procedure is at your workplace or school; it is the organization’s responsibility to provide you with advice, help and support, but such meetings at the workplace can provide an important record if legal action is ever advisable.
• If you are a union member, speak to your union representative. Unions are generally very committed to eliminating sexual harassment in the workplace.

If you are experiencing severe psychological distress, you may want to consult a psychologist or other mental health professional who understands the problems caused by sexual harassment.

Reprinted from the Journal of the American Psychological Association

The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world’s largest association of psychologists. APA’s membership includes more than 151,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. Through its division in 50 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 58 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting human welfare.

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