Target population

S.H.E. (Supporting; Healing; Educating) provides support for female victims and survivors of childhood sexual abuse, as well as information for the general public to promote public education and awareness to the long-term effects of sexual abuse.

Delivery organisation

S.H.E. UK are a registered charity based in Nottinghamshire, UK. It founded in 1998 by Jacqui Lewis and Ezzie Bainbridge, following their discovery that there was a severe lack of a holistic approach to the devastating effects of childhood sexual abuse.

Mode and context of delivery

Services are delivered in a therapeutic environment and involve face-to-face and group support programmes.

Level/Nature of staff expertise required

All S.H.E. services are delivered by highly trained professionals with years of counselling and therapeutic experience, in either a paid or unpaid capacity. S.H.E. also run a one-year placement programme for people who are currently attending a counselling/psychotherapy diploma/degree course and who are interested in helping adult survivors of sexual violence.

Intensity/extent of engagement with target group(s)

Individuals wanting to access the S.H.E. services can self-refer or be referred by your doctor, support worker, family member or any other agency, by completing an online referrals form. All referrals must be with the knowledge and consent of the prospective service user.

S.H.E. believes that long-term engagement is the key to a successful healing journey. For this reason, counselling can be offered in twenty-week blocks (considered short-term) but also for up to two-years or longer.

Description of intervention

S.H.E. offers a holistic range of support services for survivors of childhood sexual abuse, exploitation, and sexual violence, including one-to-one befriending, crisis support, drop-in services in Mansfield and Worksop, creative workshops, skills & training workshops, creative therapy groups, and personal development courses.

S.H.E. also hosts lounge and support sessions aiming to encourage people to informally support one another and socialise in a safe environment. They hope to achieve this by offering different activities such as providing library and video resources, offering various craft workshops, or simply meeting others for tea or coffee on a regular weekly basis. They want people who attend the lounge sessions to increase their confidence and self-esteem, to meet new friends and develop better social skills, and to find people who provide mutual support. They’ll be supported to set goals and learn about healthy coping strategies. Attendees will also have access to a key worker and a peer mentor, in order to empower them in every way possible. Key workers are staff members that support individuals with goal setting, and can sign post to other, relevant organisations. Peer mentors are service users who have accessed S.H.E’s services themselves for more than six months.

Evaluation

To date, no evaluation has been conducted on the S.H.E. services. 

References

No references available.

Contact details

Telephone:       01623 622 916

Email:                 info@she-uk.org.uk

Facebook:         www.facebook.com/she.org.uk

Twitter:              www.mobile.twitter.com/uk_she

Address:            1 Byron Street, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire NG18 5NX

Website:            www.she-uk.org.uk

RATING: Pioneering

Information correct at January 2020