Sexual Assault Counselling in Leeds

 

About Our Sexual Assault Counselling

 

Sexual violence is any unwanted sexual act or activity. There are many different kinds, including: rape, sexual abuse (including in childhood), sexual assault, sexual harassment, forced marriage, so-called honour-based violence, female genital mutilation (FGM), trafficking, sexual exploitation (including child sexual exploitation), and others. 

Sexual violence can be perpetrated by a stranger, or by someone known and even trusted, like a friend, colleague, family member, partner or ex-partner. Sexual violence can happen to anyone. No-one ever deserves or asks for it to happen.

100% of the responsibility for sexual violence lies with its perpetrator(s). There is no excuse for sexual violence; it can never be justified or explained away.

If you have been raped or been through any kind of sexual violence, no matter how long ago, where you were, what you were doing, wearing, or saying, whether you were drunk or had taken drugs, it was not your fault and you did not deserve this.

Why Insight? The Process and the Sessions:

Experiencing sexual violence can affect you in lots of different ways. I will work with you to understand what you want to get out of counselling; this could include:

·       Understanding your feelings.

·       Coping with strong or upsetting feelings.

·       Dealing with or reducing the number of flashbacks, nightmares or intrusive thoughts.

·       Reducing shame and self-blame, and improving your self-esteem.

I will always be guided by you and you can take it at your pace.  I can help with:

  • Low self-esteem

  • Guilt & shame

  • Anxiety & fear

  • Symptoms of PTSD (such as flashbacks, disassociation, nightmares etc)

  • Depression

  • Self-harm

  • Suicidal thoughts and feelings

  • Anger

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Lots of people are nervous about starting counselling. You might feel like if you start to talk about painful memories, you won’t be able to cope. I will never force you to talk about anything you're not ready to. I am trained to make sure you stay safe during the session and can cope afterwards.

    You'll be encouraged to express your feelings in safe and appropriate ways. At the same time, counselling is not always easy or comfortable. It will involve remembering and feeling memories and emotions that can be painful and difficult. This is a usual part of the counselling process and it will get easier.

  • No one discloses everything in the first session; There wouldn’t be time! We will work at your pace as our therapeutic relationship grows. Often, as sessions move on, clients identify issues they hadn’t, initially.

  • There isn't a fixed number of sessions for sexual assault counselling.

    The duration and frequency of sessions varies depending on individual needs.  The goal of counselling is to provide support for the healing process, which has no set timeline, and to help individuals move forward in their lives. 

  • Our sessions take place in a safe, non-judgemental environment. All information will be kept confidential between me and you as the client with the following exceptions:

    • I reserve the right to break confidentiality if instructed to by a court of law.

    • I reserve the right to break confidentiality if I believe that you are going to cause physical harm to another individual.

    • I reserve the right to break confidentiality if I believe you are going to physically harm yourself.

    I will be discussing your case with my supervisor during my supervision session. This is required by the rules of my regulatory body (BACP) and is beneficial to both the client and therapist.

  • If you need to cancel, please provide at least 24 hours’ notice as I would then be able to offer the session to another client. Please see terms & conditions here

  • If you find your obligations and responsibilities quite changeable, there is no need to have sessions at the same time and day, or even every week. We can work around your life style and commitments.

  • £50/hr for sessions that finish at or before 5pm.  Sessions that start after 5pm are charged at £55/hr.