Our aims
• To offer support to women in emotional distress, and particularly to those who self-injure or victim of any kind of violence.
• To develop services, and raise awareness of self-injury and mental health issues, through training and providing information.
We have carried out a lot of research into the experiences and needs of women who are in distress. As well as helping to shape our own services, this work has also helped people:
• Get a better understanding of law relating to them and
• find the best ways of working with women who are ignorant of law, and legal help provided for.
What we do
A wide range of women use our services. Some have long-term mental health needs and must have out-of-hours support to cope in the community. Others are facing a more immediate crisis and need to talk through their experiences and feelings. They may also need to get information about appropriate local services and resources. Many of our helpline calls are about domestic violence or sexual abuse.
Helpline
We run a helpline for women in emotional distress. We offer any woman who rings a chance to talk through her feelings in confidence, without fear of being judged or dismissed. Groups
We run and support self-help groups and are developing this work. Our experience has also shown there is a need for face-to-face counselling, and we hope to be able to provide this.Information
We produce publications about existing law related to women for individuals and their supporters. These include leaflets, information sheets and booklets.Training
We also offer talks and training courses to professionals such as social workers, accident and emergency staff, mental health teams, prison staff, rape crisis lines, and to groups of service users.
