Adult Therapeutic Services

Please note that our waiting list for therapy is currently closed. 

You can find out more here and if you are interested in accessing therapy via other services, consider these options.

What is our Adult Therapeutic Service?

Our Adult Therapeutic Services provide a safe and non-judgmental space for you to explore and understand your experiences and their impact on you, as well as receive therapeutic support around this.

They comprise one-to-one therapy and therapeutic Online Self-Compassion Groups.

In one-to-one therapy, you can be open and honest about your feelings in a way that isn’t always possible with friends, family and supporters. Therapy can help you develop insights into the challenges that you are facing, and then support you to find your own resources and strengths, to manage and overcome them. We help and empower you to make your own choices and decisions.

The therapeutic Online Self-Compassion Groups are available to clients on the Therapy waiting list, they run for 7 weeks where you will explore what self-compassion is. Topics such as self-criticism, mindful compassion and regulating emotions will be covered, alongside using creative arts activities to build new skills for increasing self-compassion and being kind to ourselves.

Who is it for?

Our service is open to Brighton & Hove residents 18+ years of age who have experienced sexual violence, abuse and/or harassment, no matter when or how it happened.

When the waiting list is open again, we accept referrals for people who identify as women. We also accept referrals for gender-diverse people (including but not limited to non-binary, genderqueer, questioning / unsure, gender fluid) who would like to access support from our therapeutic service.

If you identify as a man, there is support available from Mankind, who provides support for people who identify as men. More information can be found here: https://mkcharity.org/access-our-services/

We understand that, for some people, gender is not a fixed identity and may change over time. Some clients may join the waiting list while they identify as a woman and either while waiting or while accessing therapy this may change. We are committed to offering support to these clients, irrespective of their gender identity. Clients who identify as men subsequent to being accepted onto the waiting list may wish to access support from Mankind, rather than Survivors’ Network, but this will be their choice to make.

How do the sessions work?

Our one-to-one Adult Therapeutic Service is delivered by a team of qualified and experienced therapists.

You will be asked to be able to commit to attending the assessment appointments and sessions on the same day and time on a weekly basis, for the duration of the therapeutic process.

The number of sessions we can offer each person depends on what your goals for therapy are, as well as the current capacity of our service.

We offer therapy sessions either online via a secure video platform or in-person at our Brighton office spaces.

We are committed to making this service accessible for disabled people. If you have any access or communications needs, please get in touch so that we can seek to accommodate them.

How do I access this service?

Our therapy waiting list is currently closed. When it opens again to referrals, this information will be posted on the website and social media, you will be able to either refer yourself to this service, or a referral can be made on your behalf and with your consent by a professional who is supporting you.

Find out more about making a referral here.

Our friendly Welcome Team will offer an initial assessment and will then allocate you to our Therapy waiting list.

We contact clients on the waiting list every three months with an update on waiting times, relevant information on other services and to check if you are still interested in accessing the service. If you move out of Brighton & Hove whilst waiting to access the service, we regret to inform you that you will no longer be eligible to access therapy with Survivors’ Network. In this case, we will endeavour to signpost you to services in your local area.

Once you reach the top of the waiting list, we will contact you to arrange an assessment with one of our therapists. This assessment is an opportunity for you to ask questions and share what has brought you to therapy, and for us to get relevant information. After this assessment process is completed, a joint decision will be made about moving forward with therapy.