Counselling Services

We are here to support you.  We understand what you may be experiencing and we can help.

Our counselling mission is to ensure that anyone over the age of 13, who has been affected by sexual and domestic abuse, receives a specialised timely, accessible and quality counselling service across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland to support their safety and recovery from abuse.

What we offer:

We offer a bespoke, non-judgemental and specialist counselling service for those that have experienced abuse historically or recently, providing short to medium term counselling, working within the perimeters of 12 weeks.

Our counsellors will never pressure you into talking about anything you do not wish to. You and your counsellor will review your needs and expectations on a regular basis to try to ensure that your counselling journey is as impactful as possible.

Usually you will have regular sessions, lasting an hour each week or every two weeks. Counselling is interactive, dependant entirely on you fully committing to the support, for it to truly have an impact.

Although our service is confidential, there may be times when it is necessary for us to breach confidentiality in order to protect your own or someone else’s safety, however, we will always endeavour to discuss this with you first.

We also offer pre-trail therapy, which is offered to a victim or witness while the criminal justice process is on-going  to ensure that you feel emotionally supported whilst also trying not to influence the evidence you could potentially give in court.

Counselling is…

• The main purpose of counselling is to create an environment of trust and confidence. To help a person to focus on their feelings and or experiences to facilitate a positive change in their physical and emotional wellbeing.
• Counselling is not an instant solution but a step towards you breaking away from unhealthy behaviours or/and thoughts by increasing self-awareness, building confidence and working towards living in a way which is more satisfactory and fulfilling for you.
• Counsellors are not supposed to give advice, but they may ask questions or challenge you in ways which may help you see things more clearly, possibly from a different view-point.
• Counsellors do not get personally, emotionally, or physically involved – the relationship between the client and the counsellor needs to be built on mutual trust. It is the counsellor’s responsibility to provide a safe, confidential environment, and to offer empathy, understanding and respect.

However, counselling is not for everyone – and you have to decide whether it is right for you and whether this is the right time for it.

How can I access counselling?

If you are interested in accessing counselling or would like to explore options of support further, please do not hesitate to contact us on helpline 0808 802 0028 (opening times: Monday – Saturday 8am-8pm).

If it deemed that you would like to proceed with counselling, our professional and approachable helpline advisors will be required to undertake a suitability assessment with yourself. Due to the commitment required for counselling and our high demand for the service, the assessment enables us to ensure that it is the right for you access counselling.

Please be aware that due to high demands, at present we do have waiting lists for counselling and at times they can be up to a 6-12 month waiting time.

Remember, you are not alone – many people experience domestic violence, rape and/or sexual assault. Recognising that you are experiencing violence and abuse is the first step and accessing support can help you to decide what you can do.