Adult Therapeutic Services
A safe space for you to explore your experiences and receive therapeutic support.
Our waiting list for therapy is currently open for a limited number of referrals.
The Service can be accessed by completing our self-referral form or via Professional referral. Please note that a space cannot be guaranteed and once you have referred, you will be advised of the next steps in the process.
About our Adult Therapy Service
Our service provides a safe space to discuss, explore and understand your experiences and their impact on you. 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.
We have a dedicated team of experienced therapists who are trained in different approaches. The specific therapeutic approach varies depending on what you and your therapist decide to work with, your individual needs and therapist specialism.
Irrespective of the approaches used, all of our therapy emphasises:
- Creating a safe, confidential and non-judgemental therapeutic environment
- Safety and Stabilisation: founding a therapeutic environment which establishes physical and emotional safety. Our therapists may use grounding techniques, mindfulness practices and body awareness techniques.
- Processing & Understanding your Trauma: Gradually processing traumatic memories, thoughts and feelings at your own pace, doing so safely and minimising the risk of retraumatisation or emotional overwhelm.
- Reconnection and Integration: Focusing on rediscovering purpose, rebuilding relationships and reframing the next chapter of your life.
Our referral criteria
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.
- Women, non-binary and/or gender diverse survivors who would like support from our therapeutic service.
- Those who are able to commit to weekly sessions on the same day and same time each week.
- People who are primarily seeking support for sexual violence
- Those who are new to the service or have finished therapy with us more than 2+ years ago
Please note: this service is currently not open to people who identify as men. Please contact our team for information on options available to you, or explore services from local partner organisations:
Mankind: Access our services – Mankind
LGBT+ Switchboard: Contact Us- Switchboard
You can find out more about who we welcome on the Survivors Network’s Our Commitments page.
The Therapy Structure
You will start with an Initial Assessment with your allocated therapist, to ensure this is the right time and the right service for you. Following this, up to 20 sessions will be offered to you, depending on the amount of sessions right for you.
The sessions are in-person in central Brighton (or in an external building if an accessible space is required) or online, depending on your preference. If working online, a safe and confidential space needs to be available.
You will need to be able to commit to regular sessions on the same day and time each week- Up to 2 cancellations in advance of the session are allowed. Anything beyond this would bring therapy to a close.
Accessing our Service
Our Welcome Team will offer an initial assessment, and if you feel you meet the critieria, will provide the contact details for the Therapy Service, who you will need to contact directly so you can be added to the Waiting List.
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.
Further Information
Is the information I share in Therapy sessions confidential? toggle accordion content
The information that you share with us is confidential. This means that we don’t share without consent information outside of our service. The only exception to this is if we are concerned for your safety / wellbeing or the safety and wellbeing of someone else, in which case we may have to share information with other agencies, like the police or social services. Whenever possible, we would discuss this with you and ensure that you’re involved in the process.
How we look after your information in the Adult Therapeutic Services
- When we are contacting you to start therapy, we keep a record of any conversations on our case management system which is visible to all service teams at Survivors’ Network.
- Your therapist will record session attendance on the case management system which is visible to all service teams at Survivors’ Network.
- Your therapist will write brief and factual notes after your sessions. These are stored securely, visible only to the Therapy Admin team and Senior Management, and a copy can be made available to you, if requested.
- To support their work and manage any risk, your therapist will discuss your case with their clinical supervisor who provides support and guidance to your therapist. They may also discuss your case with the Therapy Service Manager.
If you’d like more information on any of this, your Survivors’ Network worker/therapist can talk to you more about our Confidentiality Policy
What if I am going through a Criminal Justice process?toggle accordion content
If you have an open police investigation, this will not impact your ability to access therapy. It is your choice when you access therapy – before, after or during the process. Your notes can be requested, in very limited situations, by the police or CPS as part of the criminal justice process and we would only share them with your consent. Exceptions to this are if we have a safeguarding concern about you or someone else or if a first disclosure is made and therapy notes on this are requested.
Do I have to fill in any paperwork? toggle accordion content
Prior to accessing therapy, you will be sent, and need to read and sign, our Agreement to Access Therapy and Confidentiality Policy. If you need any support completing these, our Service Administrator can call you and go through them together.
You will need to complete CORE forms during therapy, which are questionnaires designed to help us understand how you are doing. There is a 34-question form to complete during your first session and penultimate session, and a 10-question form at the beginning of each session. These forms are a funding requirement that enable us to provide our services and are a condition of attending therapy
Is the Service free?toggle accordion content
We are a charity and we operate a donation-based system. There is no expectation for you to pay, but if you would like to contribute, you can choose how much you would like to give for each session based on your own financial situation.
Once you are on the waiting list, you will be sent our Donation Policy with further information on this.