We have lots of different ways of supporting you and your family. Our small team are able to offer a limited service of direct 1:1 support on an individual basis. Not everyone whose case gets referred to us will be offered this. We try our best to offer you the most appropriate support based on the information we have on you. You will be asked what you want when your case reaches us so we can understand what you want. Below explains the forms of support we offer:-

 

What does Specialist Support Work Look Like?

A Specialist Support Worker can work with you for a long period of time. Everyones support has a different length. We are trained in working with young people who have experienced trauma and sexual abuse. The sessions can be creative and/or playful and you can decide what sort of activities you do.  There is no pressure to talk about painful experiences but you can talk to us if you want to about your abuse, whatever you talk about we will listen, not judge you and will believe you. We can help you understand why you might be feeling and behaving differently and help you begin to feel like the 'old' you.

They can work with you to identify things in your life you may be finding difficult, for example issues in school, problems with family members etc. They will support you to make any changes that you may want to make and help you achieve them.

All of the support is either done during school/college time,  or if you really don't want or are not in education we can arrange to meet you somewhere else.

 

What does Counselling look like?

Individual counselling provides a safe, non-judgemental space in which you can talk to a trained, experienced trauma counsellor about your thoughts and feelings. Sessions are usually weekly and are either done using virtual secure software or at a private counselling space around Somerset at the same time and place every week.

Counsellors will work with you at your own pace and will not advise you on what to do, but support and empower you to find your own answers, in order to help you cope and recover.

A counsellor will usually offer 12-24 sessions, for 50 minutes once a week.

 

Training and Consultation for those around you

Not everyone wants or needs 1:1 support. If we find out that you have a good relationship with another professional we may support them to better support you. They may also benefit from going on some training.

 

Do people need to know I am getting support from the Somerset Phoenix Project?

Not if you don’t want them to. If you are receiving support from a Specialist Support Worker and they visit you at school they will not wear a badge that identifies them as being from the Somerset Phoenix Project and they will say they are ‘from Barnardo’s.’ If you have more questions about confidentiality then we can answer those for you when we discuss the best way to support you.

 

How do I get support from the Somerset Phoenix Project?

You can request support from the Phoenix Project by filling out this form (linked) or ask a parent to do it for you (linked) or a professional working with you like your teacher, social worker, support worker, school counsellor, etc. (linked)

You can also call the SARSAS helpline and talk to a trained volunteer about wanting support. Their numbers are:

0808 801 0456

0808 801 0464

Mondays & Fridays: 11am – 2pm
Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays: 6pm – 8pm

These lines are open to all.  Girls, boys, women and men can call either of our two helplines. Trans and non-binary callers are welcome.

 

What happens if I change my mind?

You can change your mind about receiving support at any point; we just ask that you let us know. You can also change your mind and ask for support again sometime in the future. Again you just need to contact us and let us know what you want.

 

Will you talk to anyone else about what I share with you?

In your assessment we will talk to you about confidentiality and answer any questions you may have. We will ask you who you are comfortable with us talking to and sharing information with. If you share with us some new information which makes us feel like you or someone else is going to come to harm in some way we may need to share this in order to protect you from further harm. We will explain this to you at the time and talk to you about what is happening and take your views into consideration.