We are aiming to setup an ambitious network of support for adult survivors of abuse. Initially a website which we hope you will support on this page.
Why support the National Survivors network when there surely must be support of this type elsewhere? Well as a survivor myself of childhood sexual abuse, I found that going through channels such as my GP & NHS funded Counselling support just did not help. This is because like all areas of the NHS it is underfunded and this means that a person that is struggling to deal with the impacts of abuse are only given a limited number of hours of free Counselling. The effects of abuse typically means that the person is unemployed.
The sad fact is that in order to move forwards then a program of ongoing support is what the survivor needs. It is impossible to expect a person to move forwards with their life and reconcile the serious effects that have typically been bottled up for many years by attending Counselling that typically lasts overall around 12hrs (12 x 1hr sessions). This is where we come in.
Quite a few years ago I was referred to a Charity that sadly no longer exists in Liverpool City Centre, it was run by adult survivors as a peer support organisation. The support that I gained was invaluable to myself and many others in the area. So much so that I want others to gain from this as I can tell you 100% that this sort of support works where the constraints of Counselling doesn't.
With the sad news recently in the press surrounding many people coming forwards about historic sexual abuse, then it came to me that now more than ever an organisation like the one that we are setting up is needed more than ever.