She's just as likely to get checked into the nearest morgue. The advice in this article is not just touch-feely, it's actually dangerous. If someone thinks a few hours of simulated martial arts is going to allow someone to fend off a violent street criminal, they probably also think those magic fat burning pills on TV actually work.
Learning self defense is a good thing. But one needs a realistic idea of what it can actually do. A few practice spars at the YWCA does not a street brawler make.