Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA)
Criteria: The ISVA service is available to anyone living in the Teesside area (Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar, Hartlepool) and can also offer support to those who have a court case at either Teesside Crown or Magistrates Courts. The service has no lower or upper age limit.
Appointments are offered on an outreach basis or can be held at our centre based within Middlesbrough.
About: Our ISVAs are all fully trained and accredited, they specialise in providing support following a disclosure of sexual violence/abuse and can support you to make sure that you have the right support in place. If you have experienced sexual violence/abuse at any point in your life and are considering reporting, the ISVA can explain your options including third party reporting; this does not mean you have to report to the Police. If you do decide to report to the Police, the ISVA can also support you with this process.
ARCH WAY Project
The project provides an Independent Sexual Violence Advisory (ISVA) service for people involved in or exploited through prostitution/sex work.
Criteria: The service is open to men and women aged 18 years and over within the Teesside area. Our ARCHWay project provides clients with trained, experienced advisors who can offer discreet, emotional and/or practical support.
Appointments: are offered on an outreach basis and can be held at our centre and other safe locations.
About: If you have experienced sexual violence/abuse at any point in your life and are considering reporting, the ISVA can explain your support options; this does not mean you have to report to the Police. If you do decide to report to the Police, the ISVA can also fully support you with this process. The ISVA can also offer safety information and details regarding third party reporting options such as the Teesside SARC and an anonymous reporting scheme called ‘National Ugly Mugs’ whose aim is to keep people involved in the sex industry safe.
Counselling
Criteria: Our counselling service is Middlesbrough based and needs led, offering support to anyone aged 14 years and over with no upper age limit. If you live outside of Middlesbrough, we may still be able to offer support in some circumstances and advise that you speak to your ISVA or contact our referrals team on 01642 822331 for more information.
Appointments can be held at our centre located in Middlesbrough, at Teesside SARC or delivered on-line through a secure web platform. Counselling for children under 13 years takes place on an outreach basis through local schools.
About: Counsellors work to BACP ethics and standards and specialise in providing therapeutic support for survivors and supporters of sexual violence/abuse. If a client has reported their experience and is going through the criminal justice process, counsellors will then provide Pre-Trial therapy sessions.
Please be aware if counselling has been requested, we do operate a waiting list and can explain this when we contact you following the referral.