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I think I need counselling
Counselling can provide help and support for someone who is concerned about a problem by talking confidentially to and understanding listener. Counselling helps a person gain a clearer insight into themselves and their situation so that they are better able to help themselves and draw on their own solutions. Counselling can help you but cannot make changes for you. During couselli9ng you will never be asked to do anything you don’t want to do.
"Did you know ... rape crisis has thirty years of experience of listening to women"
What sort of counselling do rape crisis groups provide?
Counselling takes a feminist, woman-centred, healing model, which considers that crimes of violence committed against women have a catastrophic effect creating a myriad of repercussions, which impacts on the life of the survivor. The consequences are far-reaching and complex and responses reflect this.
Our model has evolved from over 30 years of effectively working with women. It has developed into an appropriate and effective response underpinned by the following themes and principles.
· An environment underpinned by a fusion of traditional counselling models.
· A feminist rationale, which considers the social constructs that give rise to and maintains oppressive structures against women.
· A response which affirms the reality of the effects on women’s life.
· That challenges the myths that surround women’s experiences of sexual violence.
· An appropriate response, which considers and values the uniqueness of women’s experiences and meets the individual needs of women.
· An empowering response which presents choices and options for women to mobilise and restore her own capacity and strategies to take control of her life.
· A celebration which affirms and validates her womanhood and capacity for survival.
· Works towards restoration, change and movement from a survivor to thriver.
The responsibility of maintaining standards of good practice is paramount to our work.
"Did you know ... rape crisis values women's words"
Can counselling be damaging?
Only if carried out by people who do not have the skills and do not care about working with women.
Can counselling lead to false memories?
(also see child abuse)
No – quality counselling is about supporting women to remember safely in a supportive environment, to work towards a stage where they really become survivors and eventually can go on to thrive in their lives.
Do all women who have experienced sexual violence require counselling?
All women who experience sexual violence have a right to quality counselling on demand.
What is Rape Trauma Syndrome?
Rape Trauma Syndrome, or RTS, was first discussed by Burgess & Holmstrom in 1974. It was seen as a particular form of post traumatic stress disorder and is a label used to identify a spectrum of symptoms that a survivor of sexual assault or harassment may experience. They constructed a list of around 44 different reactions women might experience following rape. They argued that the survivor may feel the effects of RTS immediately after the assault, or even weeks or months later. RTS is seen as consisting of two phases, the first is the acute stage and the second emerges after some weeks when the survivor is trying to readjust to her life.
"Did you know ... you can call most rape crisis phonelines and ask for someone to ring you back"