Abusive relationships can leave you feeling like you’ve lost your sense of self. Not knowing who you are, what your likes and dislikes are, questioning the reality of your situation, questioning yourself and this can be distressing. We can support you in exploring your experience to help gain an understanding and make sense of the confusion. We can help you reconnect with yourself through the safety of a therapeutic relationship.
There are many fears which prevent survivors from speaking out about their abuse, the fear of not being believed, being blamed or invalidated. We offer a safe space and a trained ear and look to understand your experience through your eyes. As a survivor of abuse, you may feel that your autonomy or agency has been violated and we endeavour to empower our clients by supporting them in gaining an understanding of their abuse. We see your experience as unique to you and to support you in choices and decisions that work for you. We do not offer advice and our approach is non-directive which allows you to feel autonomous and in control of your own decisions something which can be empowering for survivors of abuse.
The genuine acceptance that we offer can help heal the feelings of shame, guilt and self-blame. This building of trust that we create in counselling can serve as a model for healthy relationships in the future helping you rebuild trust in others.
