Our HYSA grant will go towards our Youth Counselling Programme; a free support service for Surrey based survivors aged 13-18, who have experienced sexual harm. This generous funding will contribute to the recruitment of two additional sessional counsellors to meet a growing demand for counselling for young survivors with increasingly complex needs. Thanks to the HSYA, we will be able to provide even more holistic person-centred counselling for young people who have experienced sexual harm. Each client will receive between 12 and 16 sessions of one to one, trauma informed counselling, delivered either face to face or remotely to work around school/college and work commitments.

Demand for counselling support is increasing annually, and we are expecting this to grow significantly in 2024-2025. Experiencing sexual abuse as a young person can have profound and lasting effects on both the survivor and their family and friends. All the young people we support are experiencing very poor mental health as a result of the abuse they have experienced; anxiety, depression, PTSD, trouble sleeping and substance abuse are also extremely common. Low self-esteem is both exacerbated by the trauma they have experienced, or may have made them vulnerable to abusive relationships initially. Our young clients are also more likely to suffer from suicidal ideation and self-harm which often presents as a coping mechanism.

As a result of HSYA funding we hope that all the young survivors we support through our Youth Counselling Service will:

1 Experience a significant, measurable improvement in their mental wellbeing

2 Feel safer and better able to cope with aspects of every day life

3 Be able to return to school/college/ work/training.

Rape and Sexual Assault Support Counselling

Awarded 2024-2025