Woman’s Trust
Counselling service for women affected by
Domestic Violence
Empowering women to empowering themselves
Maya Gagni, Senior Counselling Coordinator
Contents
 Background & information on Woman’s Trust
 Some Data
 What is Domestic Violence for us
 Leaving is not an option
 Consequences of DV
 Current service provision and health inequalities
 The Person Centred Approach and Domestic Violence
 Outcomes

What our clients say about us
Background Information
 Woman’s Trust was set up in 1995 in response to a





lack of specialist Counselling service.
Every year we receive around 1,000 referrals
We offer one-to one counselling sessions with a
specialist Counsellor
Our services are London wide, specifically covering
East and West London and Barking and Dagenham
In order to meet client’s needs, our counsellors are
based in a variety of boroughs.
Referral is easy and anyone can do that
Some data
 Two women are killed every week due to domestic violence in the UK.
 Nationally DV accounts for 14% of violent incidents.
 “Women are the overwhelming majority of the most heavily abused group.
Among people subject to four or more incident of domestic violence from the
perpetrator of the worst incident (since age 16) 89 %were women”
 Every minute in the UK an incident of domestic abuse is reported to the police.
 It is estimated that one in four women will experience domestic violence at
some time in her life.
 64 % of women subject to domestic abuse did not think that what had happened
to them was a crime.
 In 40 - 70% of cases where women are being abused, the children are also being
directly abused themselves 1 in 5 people think it would be acceptable in certain
circumstances for a man to hit or slap his female partner in response to her being
dressed in sexy or revealing clothing in public.
Some more date
 At least 750,000 children a year witness domestic violence. Nearly three quarters
of children on the 'at risk' register live in households where domestic violence
occurs.
 Domestic violence and other abuse is the most common cause of depression and
other mental health difficulties in women
 18% of women affected are suicidal
 64% have post traumatic stress disorder
 19% of women experiencing domestic violence misuse or depend on alcohol
(compared to 5-8% of women in general)
 Women being abused are more likely to use drugs other than alcohol
 50-60% of patients using mental health services are affected by DV and over 20%
will be currently abused.
Hackney
“The Home Office developed a Ready Reckoner Tool13 to enable
boroughs to estimate the level of need, taking into account known levels
of underreporting. This tool tells us that in Hackney we can expect that:
 5,245 women and girls aged 15-69 have been the victim of domestic
violence in the past year.
 5,687 women and girls aged 15-69 have been the victim of sexual
abuse in the past year.
 9,281 women and girls aged 15-69 have been the victim of stalking in
the past year.2
Hackney Domestic and Gender Violence Strategy 2011-2013
Sources
Women’s Aid domestic-violence-statistics-2009
“Sane Responses: good practice guidelines for domestic violence and mental health
services” Greater London Domestic Violence Project
“Hard Knock Life” New Philanthropy Capital /“Tackling the Health & Mental Health
Effects of Domestic & Sexual Violence and Abuse”, Department of
Health/CSIP/NIMHE/Home Office
“Domestic Violence Factsheet”, Government Equalities Office Domestic Violence
Factsheet”, Government Equalities Office
“Crime in England and Wales 2009/10”
“A Domestic and Sexual Violence Strategy for Barking and Dagenham 2012 – 2015”
One Definition of Domestic Violence:
 Domestic Violence is essentially a pattern of behaviour which is
characterised by the exercise of coercive control and the misuse of
power by one person, usually a man, over another, usually a
woman, within the context of an intimate relationship. It can be
manifested in a variety of ways, including but not restricted to,
physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse, and the imposition
of social isolation and is most commonly a combination of them
all.
 DV also occurs between adults in family relationships and also to
men (and to women in same sex relationshipsWT 2008)
The London DomesticViolence Strategy 2001(Greater London Authority and
Association of London Government)
Forms of abuse
 Mental and psychological abuse
 Sexual abuse
 Financial/ economic abuse
 Physical abuse
 Elder abuse
 Electronic abuse
 Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
 Forced Marriage
 “Honour based violence”
 Stalking
Leaving is often not an option
Leaving is often a proposition that friends and family offer when
disclose of abuse is happening in someone’s live.
But..
Leaving could often mean:
 Loss of home, work and income
 Loss of children
 Loss of identity and status in own community
 Loss of support network
 Loss of immigration status
 Death of client, her children or any other family member
Consequences of DV
Emotional and psychological impacts
 Low self-esteem
 Loss of identity
 Mental health issues (mild to severe)
 Addiction(s)
 Suicide and suicide ideation
 Self-harm
 PTSD
 Chaos and confusion
 Inability to make decisions
 Hopeless and helpless
 On-going cycle of abuse
Current service provision
 Housing –Women’s Aid , EAVES, Refuge, etc.
 Practical Support for high risk clients - Advocacy
(IDVA) and floating support worker
 The Law : Civil and Criminal
 Civil : child contact, injunctions and divorce
 Criminal: Police and CPS
 Healthcare GPs, A&E
 Mental healthcare - Counsellors / Psychotherapists,
Psychiatrists, Mental health nurses,
 Third/Voluntary Sector: Woman’s Trust, Ashiana, Nawp,
Naadv, etc.
Barriers to current Mental Health
provision
 Abusive partner may use same GP
 Fear of reprisals or children may be taken away
 Counsellor may be male
 Cultural Prohibitions, No Recourse to Public funds, lack of information
 Counsellor unaware of affects of domestic violence
 Cost of private counselling and therapy and financial abuse
 Lack of funding to travel to counselling and/or childcare
Woman’s Trust Services
 Specialist domestic violence counselling
 Annual programme of self development workshops
 Referral service
 Training for professionals supporting women affected by
domestic violence
 Weekly domestic violence support groups
Approach
 Person Centred
 Culture and Domestic Violence
 Confidentiality
How Person Centred Therapy works
• The Person Centred (PC) Counsellor holds a belief that there is an
inherent potential for growth in all of us towards achieving our
potential.
• The PC Counsellor will create an environment where a client is
accepted and understood.
• The healing lies in creating a real and honest relationship between
the Counsellor and the client.
• The client knows herself best and the Counsellor is not an expert.
• Because of this non-directive and equal relationship, this approach
has been proved to work best with clients affected by Domestic
Violence.
Outcomes
 Autonomy and life choices – better able to make the right choices,









effect change in their lives & able to take charge of their own lives
Increase in autonomy and personal control
Economic independence
More able to form stable relationships
Improved ability to function and perform daily tasks
Improved family functioning
Improved mental and emotional health
Improved physical and emotional safety
Reduction in self harm and suicide
Child safety
Hackney Services
 Free helpline on 0800 056 0905 (9.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) or the 24-








hour national helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Domestic Violence Team 0800 056 0905 (Freephone 9.30am to 5pm) or 020
8356 4459 Info line
Hackney Police Community Safety Unit 020 7275 3087
Broken Rainbow Forum - National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
Domestic Violence helpline 08452 60 4460 0300 999 5428
NIA Project (Formerly known as Hackney Women's Aid) Advice Line: 020 7683
1210 Emergency Line: 0808 2000 247
Shelterline Emergency Housing Support Service - 24 hours 0808 800 4444
Hackney and City Victim Support 020 8533 5332
Childline - 24 hour help for children and young people 0800 1111
Mens Advice Line 0808 801 0327
Client quote
“Woman's Trust has been very important in my coming to terms
with the assault(s). I now think differently about my sanity, blame,
friends and family. It also supported me through an advocate
which has helped me to tackle some practical issues which I may
have avoided otherwise. I feel that I have been close to breakdown
through this last year andWoman's Trust has played a huge part in
helping me to keep things together and therefore to look after my
children. I feel that we have a good future to look forward to.”
“Woman's Trust provided a service to me that I greatly needed and
could not get elsewhere. I think without their help I would have
given up on life and sought desperate measures, I could not think
straight and was finding it hard to function.”