Young People (13-17 years)
You may be looking at our website because something has happened to you.
Sexual violence is a term that can be used for any unwanted sexual activity, including childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, female genital mutilation, sex trafficking and sexual exploitation.
No matter what or when this happened, Birchall is here to help you. You can contact us yourself - you don't need to talk to your parent or carer first. We support everyone regardless of their sexual and gender identity.
Contacting Birchall can be really scary - you might worry that you won't be taken seriously. Please know that no matter what happened, we believe you.
How can we help?
The Birchall Trust offers weekly counselling sessions across South Cumbria and Lancashire to young people who have experienced sexual violence.
Our counsellors are qualified, experienced and registered with a professional body. They have completed specialist trauma training and understand how sexual violence can impact a young person's life.
Your family and friends might not know how to best support you or may struggle themselves. That's why we offer a counselling service for loved ones - including parents, carers, or siblings - to help them support you along your counselling journey.
How can sexual violence impact you?
Sexual abuse can have a profound impact on your life. For example, you may be feeling:
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Numb, shut down or living on autopilot.
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Angry, sad or confused - or all of these at once.
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Ashamed and guilty.
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Dirty or damaged.
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Feeling like this is “your fault” or you’re somehow to blame.
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Hopeless- like you can't go on or want to die.
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Afraid or worried you will not be believed - someone may have accused you of lying in the past.
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Scared of certain sounds, smells or situations.
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Tired - you may struggle to sleep or have nightmares.
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Scared - you might be afraid of going out or worry something bad happens if you tell anyone.
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Isolated from everyone - like nobody else could ever understand.
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Hurt - you may be using drugs, alcohol or self harm to cope.
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Like you need to protect someone - this could be someone you love.
Or maybe how you are feeling is not even listed on here. In any case, you are not alone - when something traumatic happens, it's normal to be impacted by it.
No matter how you are feeling, you could find all this difficult to talk about. Speaking to a trained professional can help you make sense of your experiences.
An app that links young people with local services, self-help resources; including apps, podcasts, blogs and videos and helps you create and plan your own wellbeing and resilience action plan.
Helpful Apps
The Stay Alive app is a suicide prevention resource for the UK, packed full of useful information and tools to help you stay safe in crisis.
Feeling Good Teens is a free app that supports development of emotional regulation, self-esteem, resilience, and goal-focused motivation.
Worried about
self-harm?
Calm Harm is a free app that helps you manage or
resist the urge to self-harm.