Survivors’ Service

Due to unprecedented high levels of demand and due to holding waiting lists for many months, all free at the point of entry psychotherapy services (Survivors, Families and Young People) are now already full for 2024/25 and we have closed our waiting list. We are still able to take referrals for family therapy clients via the HOPES contract with Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. If you wish to make a referral for yourself or someone else for psychotherapy, the place will need to be funded. We suggest contacting the person’s GP to see whether funding can be made available. Please let us know if you would like details of the costs involved by contacting referrals@respond.org.uk

Our Survivors’ Service supports people with learning disabilities, autism or both who have experienced trauma and abuse to both cope with trauma and to make healthy relationships, as well as to navigate the criminal justice system.

The service is for adults over the age of 18.

People with learning disabilities, autism or both are far more likely to experience sexual abuse and exploitation. This may lead to them feeling angry, ashamed, violated and scared. Through trauma informed support, they will have better relationships, increased resilience, improved emotional wellbeing and are more able to cope with life experiences.

Respond offers specialist trauma therapy and the work we do is generally long term. This is in recognition of research that clients with autism and learning disabilities who have experienced abuse and trauma take longer to process their trauma and to recover.

• A therapist who will work with the client/s for a minimum of a year (44 sessions in total).
• A second clinician called a liaison therapist supports the identified network while therapy is ongoing, ensuring any changes achieved can be maintained. They will attend network meetings which are agreed as part of the package (either at standard, enhanced or bespoke level).
• Where appropriate, an induction training day for the network to introduce our trauma-informed model and enable staff to develop their approaches with more insight into the client’s psychological needs.
• A final report will be prepared along with recommendations.

Some clients will need accompanying to and from the clinic and online therapy can also be offered.

Funding is usually sought by the referrer or through the client's GP via the local CCG or, if there is social care involvement, through social care. On some occasions the cost is divided between social care and health.