Counselling
The Sexual Assault Program at Immigrant Women’s Support Service offers free and confidential counselling to women who are affected by sexual violence who are from non-English speaking backgrounds. If required, professional interpreters are provided free of charge. Contact Us
Breaking the silence, and talking to someone about your experiences of sexual violence can be very helpful. Going to counselling is one way of finding someone to whom you can talk about your experiences of sexual violence. Not all counsellors may understand about sexual violence and its impacts. Sometimes you may have to ‘shop around’ to find someone who is right for you. It can sometimes be useful to go to a special service like IWSS that is especially for women who have experienced sexual assault Sexual Assault Services in Queensland
It isn’t always easy to talk about your experiences of sexual assault – particularly if, in your culture, it is not acceptable to talk with strangers about personal problems. It is important that you feel as though you can make your own decisions regarding whether or not you seek support.
Counselling is the process of talking to a professional about things that are troubling you. It is common in Australia to seek help from a counsellor if you are feeling overwhelmed by things that are causing you stress and worry, and which make you feel unhappy and/or powerless. Family and friends can be helpful but sometimes you don’t want them to know what has happened to you or they may not want to hear what you have to say. The role of the counsellor is to:
- Listen to what is causing you worry and concern,
- Help you to better understand these issues,
- Help you define clearly and understand what you are feeling,
- Explore options for resolving issues of concern,
- Provide information that will empower you to make your own informed choices about what is best for you.
What can you expect from a counsellor?
A good counsellor will:
- Listen to you,
- Believe in you,
- Provide you with information so that you can make informed choices about your life,
- Respect the choices you have made,
- Allow you to express your emotions,
- Acknowledge your life experiences and the pain they may have caused you,
- Acknowledge and value your strengths,
- Acknowledge the manner in which your outlook and decisions are impacted on by both your cultural and individual beliefs and values,
- Allow you to make your own life choices without pressure or judgements,
- Keep the information you share with them ‘confidential’, and fully explain the limits to this confidentiality.
Like more information about counselling? View the IWSS What is counselling and how can you access it? brochure