Our Counselling Service

We provide specialist face-to-face counselling for women and girls aged 13 and above and play therapy for girls aged 5+, who have been raped or sexually abused at any time in their lives and who live in any of the South London boroughs.

Counselling is available for up to one year with an initial consultation to discuss your needs, regardless of ethnicity, religion, culture or socio-economic background and is accredited by the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions (BACP).

Children and Young People Counselling

Children and Young People (CYP) Counselling, please contact our CYP admin team at cypcounsellingadmin@rasasc.org.uk

Adult Counselling

Aged 25+, please contact the London Survivors Gateway for information and access to a range of services in London. Contact: 0808 801 0860. Website: London Survivors Gateway

Our Approach

Our unique model of counselling is an integrative mode aimed at helping you rebuild your life, identify your strengths and choices to aid your recovery and also acknowledge other marginalisation’s such as sexism and patriarchy you may suffer as a woman.

Gentle and empathetic. We understand it can be both painful and frightening to be asked to make a trusting relationship with a counsellor so we take things slowly and gently and do everything to support you throughout the process.

Rooted in respect and honesty without judgement to facilitate a better understanding of those difficult thoughts and feelings. Informed by our therapeutic model of empowerment with a counsellor “matched” to your needs.

Strictly confidential specialist service by highly qualified and experienced female therapists.

Our Offer

Our services for female survivors of sexual violence cover 12 South London Boroughs:

Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston Upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond Upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton and Wandsworth.

In person sessions are scheduled Monday to Friday from 10am to 8pm in person across six hubs: Telephone or video sessions are also available.

Bexley
Croydon (female only centre)
Greenwich
Kingston Upon Thames
Lambeth
Wandsworth

There is no fee for our free therapy, but we do invite women receiving counselling to make a donation in line with what they can afford.

For further information about our model of therapy please click here.

Whilst we strive to support any woman contacting our service, we may not always have a counsellor who speaks your language. Please see below for any limits of accessibility and how we strive to address these limits so that you can receive the specialist support you need. If unable to support you we can refer you to other organisations who may be able to support you.

Limits to counselling provision

Counselling Process

We ask you to self-refer for face-to-face counselling as this means you are in control of the process from the moment you make the decision to start.
You will be asked to complete a self-assessment form before your consultation, where you will also be asked to the type of counselling/counsellor you would feel comfortable with so we can ‘match’ you to one of our qualified counsellors.
In case of a waiting list we will keep in touch and as soon as your counsellor becomes available a session will be offered.
Regular counselling session are once a week either at our Croydon office or at one of our satellite services: in Bexley, Kingston and Southwark. Same time. Location, and counsellor for up to one year.
Group therapy is available for six months following face-to-face counselling.

Be Assured We Do Not

Play Therapy for Children

From experience working alongside survivors of sexual violence, we know that with the right support, children and adults find ways to re-build and move forward from the sexual violence they have had to endure.

Play therapy for girls aged 5+ old who have survived sexual violence, takes into consideration the specific needs of children and particularly where language may not always be available to adequately express what they have experienced. It is designed to create a space where children can feel safe to explore and which gives young survivors an opportunity to express their feelings through play and art at their own pace. And facilitated by qualified and experienced therapists, who specialise in working with children, as well as in working with sexual violence.

Girls aged 13+ should be supported to contact us themselves and self-refer. This is part of our model of empowerment and ensuring that young people have space to make their own choices about whether they want support right now. For girls aged under 13 years old, we can also take referrals from parents, social workers and NSPCC.

Support outside of South London:

Find your nearest Rape Crisis Centre through Rape Crisis England and Wales. For services in Scotland please go to Rape Crisis Scotland

Information about counselling support can also be found through The British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy