How to respond when someone tells you they’ve experienced sexual abuse… Thank them for telling you Disclosure is not an easy thing to do. Saying ‘thank you’ actively recognises the huge step someone has taken to ask for help, and acknowledges what they’ve been through. Listen with empathy & without critique We’ve all […]
Hearing from Survivors of Sexual Violence
When writing my book it was important to make space for survivors’ experiences of accessing therapy and reporting to the police (in the UK). Early on I decided to include interviews as part of putting the manuscript together, which a colleague helped me with. Sharing Lived Experience There are quotes throughout from people who […]
Pre-Trial Therapy Training
I struggle with the idea of trauma therapy/therapy for survivors/pre-trial therapy as ‘specialist’. Therapists will meet survivors of many different kinds of trauma (abuse, domestic violence, racial harm, ableism, classism, etc.) wherever we work. It is not an uncommon clinical phenomenon, it is daily life for many. This equally applies to the topic of pre-trial […]
Support Services for Survivors
Support Services for Survivors… It’s important to recognise that the impact of sexual violence can be as varied as each survivor who experiences it. I’d like to #ShoutOutForSurvivors who have specific experiences and/or parts of their identity that need to be included in the support received, when they’re ready to receive it. Revenge Porn Helpline […]
I’m A Social Impact Star Award Nominee
Around a fortnight ago I received an e-mail from a network called Inspiring Women Changemakers to let me know I had been put forward by two of its members for an award. I spent a fair part of the following hour getting my head around the news, which was such a surprise. The timing marks […]
A Response to Weinstein’s Lawyer
Trigger warning: several versions of sexual violence discussed in some detail. A note on language: the range of words used to refer to different types of sexual violence are used interchangeably to denote the many ways someone can experience it. ‘Asked whether she had herself ever been sexually assaulted, she replied, to the astonishment of […]
Psychotherapists and Counsellors: Do You Work With Survivors of Sexual Violence Pre-Trial?
‘Pre-trial therapy’ is the term given to survivors of sexual violence in the UK that have reported to the Police about their experiences, and are making use of talking therapy at the same time. This includes being at any stage of the criminal justice system from reporting, to investigations, to a trial. This term is […]