Abuse

An increasing numbers of our clients are bringing issues of abuse or neglect into their therapy conversations. This may not be the original focus of their sessions and it may take time to build trust in one of our therapist before disclosing this kind of experience.

Abuse can take place in childhood, within an adult relationship or even in a work setting or organisational context, which is why our team are professionally trained and are sensitive in hearing about abuse in all its forms. It can be really helpful for you to realise that you’re not alone, that abuse is sadly much more common than you might think. We encourage you to break the silence of denial and collusion as it can be very powerful. At The Grove, we offer abuse counselling in the following areas:

• Sexual abuse in childhood
• Rape and sexual assault
• Emotional and physical abuse.

If you’d like to set up an initial session or just get some advice when it comes to dealing with abuse through psychotherapy, please contact us online now.

How do I know whether I’ll benefit?

If you think you’ve suffered from abuse in your childhood or in your current relationship, you may recognise some of the following difficulties:

• Flashbacks or nightmares
• Fear of not being believed
• Lack of confidence and self-esteem
• Relationship problems
• Sexual issues or difficulty with certain sexual practices
• Fear of intimacy and trust
• Feeling unloveable, undesirable or unwanted
• A sense of isolation and being different from others
• Turning to food, alcohol or drugs, sex or porn to cope with the pain
• Shutting off or closing down difficult emotions

Once abuse has been brought up, we often find that it’s a struggle deciding whether to raise this topic within your family or with the authorities. This process naturally comes with its advantages and drawbacks, which is why abuse counselling can help you decide on the most appropriate course of action that will best support you. We’ve also found that there are other therapeutic or creative ways to work on resolving issues caused by an abusive past. We take the view that events from the past cannot be changed, but that you can move forward having been heard and believed, somehow reprocessing the experience with a different perspective – in order to live a more fruitful and fulfilling life in future.