Summary

A free specialist counselling service for adults who are victims of sexual abuse, with the objective of alleviating the distress of victims/survivors who have suffered sexual violence or abuse at any time in their lives.

Type of intervention

Counselling

Target groups, level of prevention and subgroups

• Communities and Families | Tertiary prevention | Young Adult (18-20 years), Adult (21+ years) | Male and female | Counselling | English

 

Target population

Men and women aged 18-90 years in the Bristol area who have experienced sexual abuse or rape at any point in their lives.

Delivery organisation

These services are delivered by The Green House, UK.

Mode and context of delivery

One-to-one counselling delivered in weekly hour-long sessions over a 3-6 month period.

Level/nature of staff expertise required

All Green House clinical staff are professionally qualified therapists and are accredited members of a recognised professional body e.g. British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). They adhere to an established ethical framework and complaints procedure, as well as maintaining organisational policies and practices.

All staff working at the Green House are subject to enhanced criminal records disclosure checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service and receive monthly external supervision in line with BACP guidelines.

Intensity/extent of engagement with target group(s)

Weekly hour-long sessions delivered over a 3-6 month period.

Description of intervention

The Green House provides free specialist counselling. Its objective is to alleviate the distress of those who have suffered sexual violence or abuse at any time in their lives. It aims to help victims/survivors to overcome their trauma and increase their physical and emotional wellbeing, resilience and ability to cope.

The Green House therapists use integrative counselling methods which draw from a range of modalities including: art, drama, play, psychodynamic, cognitive and person centred (supportive) therapies, according to the needs of the client.

Therapists listen in an active and non-judgmental way and provide the client with a safe and accepting space in which to tell their story. Building trust is a fundamental part in allowing the client to open up about the trauma and abuse they have suffered. Drawing the client’s attention to the emotional impact of their story, normalising PTSD symptoms, transference and helping to cope with flashbacks, can all be part of a therapist’s work with their client.

Evaluations

The Green House assesses the impact of our interventions on a person’s ability to cope with and recover from their experiences, through the analysis of quantative and qualitative outcomes. Utilisation of the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE) system of outcome measures have provided reliable evidence of post-intervention improvement for survivors. By combining victim-reported outcomes captured through CORE with qualitative service user questionnaires and quantative data, The Green House is able to demonstrate the following outcomes:

• Improved mental health and wellbeing.
• Reduced harmful reliance on drugs and/or alcohol.
• Reduced reliance on prescribed medication.
• Improved family relationships.
• Greater engagement in the community (voluntary) and/or paid work.

 

References

There are no references to include at the time of writing.

Contact details

Michelle Windle, Director
The Green House
Email: director@the-green-house.org.uk
Tel: 0117 935 1707.

https://the-green-house.org.uk/

INFORMATION CORRECT AT JANUARY 2021 

RATING: Pioneering