Still no single sex Rape Crisis support in Brighton but…

[IamSarah]

Sisters Heal has launched - a not for profit org offering single sex women’s spaces.

Full disclosure I am helping Sisters Heal get the word out about their new therapeutic courses and retreats as they’re brand new (set up by survivors as there are so many of us in Brighton struggling without support) and not many women have heard of them.

Most of the activities are in Brighton or nearby but they will be running a lovely, supportive online women’s group starting in Jan next year exploring themes like self-criticism, boundaries, guilt and worthiness.

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/sistershealcic/1940244

Everything offered is single sex ♀

Here is their website:

https://sistersheal.co.uk

Any help you can give them by commenting on this thread or sharing the info with women who need therapeutic support would really help.

I’m sorry I don’t have an update yet on what has happened with the promised women’s group at Survivors Network, but as soon as I do I will share on here.

Thank you Sarah. It must have been devastating when the promised women's group failed to materialise. I wish Sisters Heal every success.

Just posting my support. It's appalling there's still no group after everything you've been through and done, but this looks like a wonderful initiative - and so much needed.

You are an amazing woman, Sarah. 👏🏻😇. From the sounds of things, this will totally take off - I'm sure there are many women in Brighton who've had the same group therapy experience as you had and thought "No, not for me" when some bloke sits in the group. Hope the word spreads (I know it will, we women talk!!!!) and help gets to those who desperately need it.

Thank you for the support!! And any help spreading the word about Sisters Heal is really appreciated. Oh and I forgot to say that there is a discount code for the CMT course linked in the OP. You can get a 10% discount using the code: SHEAL10

Yes exactly @Joolsinthis talk at FiLiA by a group of Sarahs showed just how many women there are who have been let down by our local rape crisis charity.

It’s not something that’s easy to talk about so it can feel like you’re the only one. Sadly there are 100s of us.

Well done Sarah - what an amazing initiative. Thank you for your courage 🩷

Amazing news. Especially that you'll offer EMDR.

I hadn't realised that the promised provision never materialised. Did I miss something?

It’s just that unfortunately. The promised provision never materialised and I’ve been ghosted.

Yes Sisters Heal offers EMDR, four of the therapists can offer this 121 and there is a group session in Brighton in Jan that still has spaces I believe.

EMDR has been pretty life changing for me. It’s weird how it works but it really does help process trauma.

It's an interesting way to handle a court case isn't it?

Fold, promising to do what is required.
Just not do it.
Time drifts on and the status quo continues to harm women to benefit men.

I'm starting to see how drifting time is becoming a major MO for the activist movement, whenever a gap of any kind occurs the gerrymandering and undoing of everything happens. Supreme Court Judgment being another example.

Straight out of the SNP playbook.

It’s infuriating @OpheliaWitchoftheWoodsespecially as in the 6 months since SN promised the group, volunteers have managed to launch Sisters Heal, run a women’s retreat and fill two more, host survivor meetups in local parks, sell out two group therapy courses and have weekly yoga classes in the pipeline for next year.

Volunteers can do all that with ZERO official funding while the government funded rape crisis centre can’t even manage to put on one women’s support group.

Im just so sorry that I put any faith in them.

but at least women have Sisters Heal!

Well done Sarah
We are all Sarah- oh so true

It really does illustrate how all these jobs really could be axed without anyone noticing. Certainly where women are concerned.

I remember this coming up on the other thread.

It is really appalling that those who took on to make sure there was a women only service aren't being challenged. (Wasn't the money coming from police funding?)

Although in all honestly a women only service run by Survivors Network doesn't seem a good fit.

Are there any "authorities" we can write to or email to ask them to get on with implementing the legal areement. ie the basis on which the court case didn't go ahead.

So sorry.

Well done to all involved in Sisters Heal. Sending solidarity!

Thank you for this. I’m not local to Brighton but will share with those who I know would benefit . It infuriates me that women only groups don’t exist. My local rape crisis allowed trans women in their women’s groups and it makes me so angry .

@IamSarah

Can you share the details again of who to contact to raise concerns about their lack of provision of single sex rape crisis services?

They are being funded for it so they should have their funding stopped if not provided for women.

Four years of painful negotiations, a six figure legal bill, agreements made, funding secured and a commitment to run a women’s group. Then nothing.

Honestly, the whole rape crisis movement needs to be built again. Women did it before in the 1970s and the women at Sisters Heal are doing it again now. The existing system is a mess. Most Rape Crisis orgs are completely captured and ignoring women’s needs.

We can keep pushing these existing TRA orgs into reluctantly supporting women they don’t want to support OR we can start again and create our own orgs, like the brilliant women in Edinburgh and JKR have done with Beira’s Place.

Grassroots orgs like Sisters Heal are doing great work and I wanted to start this thread so women are aware of them. The more women they support, the more likely funders are to support them.

Any help you can give them would be so appreciated, it may be using the service, following on social media, sharing with women, volunteering or donating.

I think that is the most helpful thing right now 🙏

Just donated, thank you for sharing this.

Thank you @SilenceInside! That is very kind of you 💐I hear someone has set up a monthly donation so if that was you or another mumsnetter please know that the SH team are all incredibly grateful and pass on their thanks! All donations are used to subsidise therapy for women who can’t afford it 💐

Here it is on the BBC over 4 months ago,

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgp558qkz0o

"For some biological women, such a space is imperative for their healing and acknowledges their trauma," write the charity's co-chairs on its website.

So imperative that they've done fuck all about it for months.

Well done Sarah.

Thanks for sharing the BBC article @dimple285 It actually highlights another beef I have with SN. They insisted the new women’s group must exclude all transgender people.

Sisters Heal welcomes and includes trans people born female.

It’s crazy when service providers don’t recognise that female people who transition often do because of trauma or sexual abuse. Male people who transition, particularly the ones in their 40s/50s, have very different motivations.

Thank you for telling us about Sisters Heal. I’m so sorry that Brighton women have been let down yet again, and thrilled that they are organising alternative provision.

From the article link posted above (thanks)

The new service will run as a 12-month pilot scheme, funded by the Office of Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner.

Can find anything that matches the wording in the article but:
https://www.sussex-pcc.gov.uk/ and
https://www.police.uk/pu/policing-in-the-uk/police-crime-commissioners/police-and-crime-commissioner-for-sussex-police/

Maybe they should be asked not only why no progress but is Survivor's Network the best group to be organising it?

Thank you so much for this. My daughter was unable to access women only support in Brighton so this will be so helpful for her