New support group for women who have experienced sexual violence

02.03.2022

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We recently awarded Focus Counselling a £4,445 grant to establish a fortnightly support group for women survivors of sexual violence in Bath, an area where there was previously a lack of support. The group, launched in February 2022, offers a safe space for women to share their experiences, gain peer support and aid their recovery.

More support needed

There was a lack of support in Bath and the surrounding area for survivors of sexual violence.  This is despite the fact that in the year ending March 2020:

• the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that 4.9 million women had been victims of sexual assault in their lives.
• this included 1.4 million who had been raped, or had faced attempted rape.

Support available free of charge

This support group has been designed and will be facilitated by experienced and qualified Focus therapists.

Group organiser, counsellor and CEO of Focus Counselling Helen Marton has a message for anyone thinking of coming to the group:

We are very excited to be able to offer a much-needed, free of charge, drop-in support group for self-identified female survivors of sexual violence in Bath and the surrounding area.

Reaching out can be so hard when you are unsure who will be in the group and what to expect. We encourage you to make that first step and call us at Focus and talk to us. There’s never any pressure and we are here to support you in any way we can.

Helen Marton – CEO, Focus Counselling

The group intends to provide a trauma-informed safe space for survivors to draw strength from each other and have their experiences of sexual violence acknowledged, feel reduced shame and be empowered to start or continue recovery from their experience.

• The group welcomes all women 18 years and older and the aim is for the space to be supportive and inclusive to everyone
• The fortnightly group is run on a drop-in basis. 

About Focus Counselling

Focus Counselling provides professional, subsidised, one-to-one counselling for adults, couples, families, children and young people in Bath and Frome. They aim is to improve the emotional and mental wellbeing of residents in need by putting counselling within the financial reach of all those who would not otherwise be able to afford it.