Sorry to hear about what happened to your girlfriend. Glad she is physically alright. I hope she can get past the mental part soon. I couldn't agree more with timbercruiser. Get her some place she can handle and shoot several handguns.
A glock is what I carry and is on my night stand. If she is set on .40 or larger you might want to have her look at the G36. IMHO it is an easier recoil to control than the .40.
Good luck!

BTW, I hope they catch the sorry POS that did this. I hate a thief!