ABSTRACT
Victims may reach out to close, long-term friends or even acquaintances for support when they are being abused in their relationships. Friends who were validating and supportive were reported to be the most useful and helpful. Oftentimes, these people do not know how to offer their support, but they simply want to be there for their friends. As a result, they have referred the victim for professional assistance, which was deemed useful for the victim. However, some friends became tired of hearing the repetitive stories and burnt out and began to “ghost” the victim. It is important for the friends of victims to be honest and express how much the victim is leaning on them, how much it is affecting them and set clear-cut boundaries for the victim. This is to help to negotiate burnout for victim’s friends, so that there will not be a loss of friendship and abandonment issues for the victims. Unbiased, active listening, honesty and helping victims seek appropriate formal support are described in this chapter.
