Emily looked at the counselor.
“Will everyone know I complained?”
“We will share information only with the people who need it to address the situation. I can’t promise that nobody will guess, but we can take steps to protect your privacy and respond promptly if anyone retaliates.”
For the first time that day, Emily seemed to breathe normally.
She still looked frightened.
But she no longer looked as though she expected everyone in the room to dismiss her.
Mrs. Reynolds asked whether Emily had saved the messages or had access to the photograph that had been shared.
Emily nodded and took out her phone.
The counselor asked her to show the relevant material, and together they identified what needed to be documented.
When Emily mentioned that she had deleted some messages because she couldn’t stand looking at them, the counselor reassured her that she had done nothing wrong by trying to escape something upsetting.
