Female Survivors
No matter what or when it happened, at Birchall, we are here to support you.
It is estimated that there are around 33.5 million women living in the UK today. It is also estimated that 1 in 5 women are impacted by a sexual crime between the ages of 16 and 59.
That figure changes to 1 – 4 if you include children under 16. (Office of national statistics)
That’s a staggering number of women who are impacted by a sexual crime in their lifetimes. Are you that one in four that needs our support? Please don't hesitate to reach out to us.
Sexual abuse is any unwanted sexual activity. It includes childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, rape, sexual harassment, FGM (female genital mutilation), sex trafficking and sexual exploitation.
We welcome anyone who identifies as female, straight, lesbian/gay, trans, non-binary or other.
How can we help?
We want to help women living in the shadows of abuse to start leading the lives they want and deserve.
We are here to help you make sense of your story and come to terms with how sexual violence has impacted your life.
We can help sign post you to organisations that can help with issues that are often interlinked with sexual crimes.
We offer weekly counselling sessions to females who have experienced rape and/or sexual abuse in South Cumbria and North Lancashire. We welcome anyone who identifies as female, straight, lesbian/gay, trans or non-binary.
We also offer the counselling service to friends and family of women who have experienced rape and/or sexual abuse so they can help their loved ones through their counselling journey.
All of our counsellors are qualified, experienced and registered with a professional body. They have specialist trauma training alongside their counselling qualification and understand how childhood sexual abuse, rape or sexual assault impacts a woman’s life. We are here to support you in a non-judgemental and sensitive way.
Impact
Sexual abuse can have a profound impact on a woman’s life, it can stop women living the life they choose and without support can have a huge impact on your long term emotional and physical wellbeing.
If you have experienced sexual abuse, rape or a sexual assault of any kind you may find it difficult to talk about.
Whether you’re facing talking about an historic event (s) or something that has happened more recently, it is helpful to talk to a trained professional.
Women impacted by sexual abuse are probably living with some painful feelings that need to be processed, you may recognise some or all of these feelings below:
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Feeling numb, or shut down
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Feeling anger, sadness and confusion
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Feelings of shame and guilt
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Feeling like it’s “your fault” or you’re somehow to blame
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Feeling like you cannot go on
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Feeling afraid, scared
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Feeling dirty and damaged
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Silenced, or afraid to speak about what has happened
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Feeling stressed and anxious
