‘Someone might say it’s just a conversation, but that conversation changed my life’
West Mercia Women’s Aid have been running a small therapy service alongside our main support and recovery services for the last 4 years. This has grown steadily from a starting place of operating only in Worcestershire, to now also including Hereford and Telford. In the last year alone, we have supported over 50 clients, and have arranged over 500 hours of counselling.
Our commitment to providing a therapeutic service stems from the recognition that the emotional and psychological wounds experienced by victims and survivors of domestic abuse can be just as significant as any physical injuries, and can sometimes take even longer to heal. Often, a woman will come into our service once she is in a safe place, perhaps she has moved home, her kids are settled in new schools, the perpetrator is no longer on the scene, everything is apparently ‘sorted’, but she might be asking ‘why do I still feel so terrible?’
This is where our therapy service can come in. We provide victims and survivors with a safe, non-judgemental space where they can be really listened to, sometimes for the first time, a space where they say they feel ‘validated and understood’. A lot of clients will spend time understanding and processing what has happened to them, often gaining a new perspective on their experience: ‘I’ve learnt that it’s not my fault what’s happened and what I’m feeling is ok, I’ve got every right to feel that way.’
Therapy is not just about coming to terms with the past, however, it’s also about laying foundations for a better future. Women talk about the positive impact coming to therapy has had on their sense of self-worth and self-esteem; now they can trust their own feelings and judgements, and can prioritise, or at least be aware of and consider, their own needs and wants. Experiencing abuse can make us feel like we are the problem, like we are a terrible person who caused or deserved what happened to us: after therapy, many clients will comment on how they feel like a better person: ‘I can actually say now that I’m a good person and that I quite like myself.’ For some, engaging in therapy will be fundamentally life-changing: ‘For me it’s like a holistic change in life, I’ve changed… my view of myself.… It’s changed my whole system.’
If you are a currently receiving support from WMWA and think you could benefit from counselling, then please ask your support worker or group facilitator to refer you. If you have previously completed a programme of support with WMWA and would now also like to try counselling, then you can self-refer via this webpage: https://www.westmerciawomensaid.org/services/counselling/
Our service runs mainly by offering placements to suitably experienced counselling and psychotherapy trainees: if you are interested in undertaking a placement with us, please visit https://www.westmerciawomensaid.org/services/counselling/ where you will find a link to an application form.
Help Us Create a Safe Space for Survivors of Domestic Abuse
Everyone deserves a place where they feel safe enough to talk, be heard, and begin to heal. We are raising £500 to transform an empty room into a warm, welcoming therapy space dedicated to supporting people who have experienced domestic abuse.
Every donation, no matter the amount, will help us transform this empty room into a safe, calming space where survivors of domestic abuse can begin to rebuild their confidence, process their experiences, and move forward with support.
·This is the empty space we hope to transform but we need your help!