A Manchester organisation is working alongside a national charity to launch the North West’s first therapy group for gay, bisexual or men questioning their sexuality who have been sexually abused.
The group, run by Survivors Manchester and the LGBT Foundation, will bring together victims of sexual abuse who identify as male – including Trans – to work to effectively manage their symptoms and issues.
Tom Taylor, Clinical Lead at Survivors Manchester, will be one of the sessions’ co-facilitators and explained the LGBT group will follow the same framework as their existing groups.
“We do a lot of work in collaboration with the LGBT Foundation and we get a lot of referrals from them,” he told MM.
“We do work quite closely with them anyway, but we noticed something was missing.
“The LGBT Foundation recognises that these individuals have specific needs and that there are differences regarding male survivors.”
The group will meet for 20 weekly sessions and is open to male (including Trans) survivors of childhood sexual abuse who are aged 25-years-old or over and who identify as gay, bisexual or questioning their sexuality.
The group is free, has 12 available places and is described as a ‘closed group’ – meaning no new members will join once the group has met for the first time.
All applicants will also be required to have an initial assessment with one two group facilitators, to ensure the group is suitable for them.
Survivors Manchester also offers one-on-one, face-to-face support for all victims, as well as the Safe Room, peer support group facilitated by a qualified therapist.
To apply, you can contact one of the project team, who will then complete a short application form over the phone:
You can contact the Survivors Manchester Helpline on 0161 236 2182 or email Tom by clicking here.
Alternatively, you can contact LGBT Foundation’s Helpline on 0345 3 30 30 30 or email their Mental Health Co-ordinator Rossella Nicosia by clicking here.
The group will meet on a Wednesday evening between 7pm and 9pm in a safe location based Manchester City Centre.
Image courtesy of Martin Sharman, with thanks.
