Saint Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) provides a comprehensive and co-ordinated forensic, counselling and aftercare service to men, women and children living in the Greater Manchester and Cheshire area who have experienced rape or sexual assault, whether this has happened recently or in the past.
You can use our services without making a report to the police or we can support you if and when you want to speak to the police
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Services Offered
Counselling
Our team of counsellors have been trained to work with people who have experienced rape, sexual violence and sexual abuse.
We offer counselling to anyone who has experienced rape, sexual abuse or sexual assault. The Centre also offers counselling to "significant others" for example partners or relatives of those who have experienced sexual violence and who may struggle with coming to terms with what has happened to the person they care for. Separate counsellors ensure that all discussions are kept confidential.
Our specialist team of counsellors all work within the British Association of Counselling and Psycholotherapy Ethical Framework.
Initial Assessment
When you first attend Saint Mary's SARC you will have an assessment session. This offers the opportunity of ensuring this is the right service for you and that it will meet your needs. The counsellor will ask you about the feelings you are currently experiencing and ask a number of questions to assess your mood. This will help in evaluating the therapy provided to you.
In some cases the SARC counselling service will be unable to meet your current needs and it is important that we help you to access the appropriate services. We will discuss this with you and with your consent we will refer you to a more appropriate service.
Pre trial therapy
If your case goes to court we are obliged to make the Crown Prosecution Service aware that you have had counselling. You may be asked by the investigating officer for consent for us to release these records. We will contact you and inform you that a request has been made and invite you to go through your counselling records with your counsellor. When you have been made aware of the content of the records and if you give your consent to disclosure, we will give a copy to the courts. Where you do not agree to disclosure we will do whatever we can to prevent disclosure. However, we maybe ordered to show them to the trial judge. We will attend the court and inform the judge of your request for confidentiality. The court Judge will make the decision as to the relevance of your notes in the court case.
Fees and Payment
The counselling at the Centre is free.
Services Offered To: Adults Teens
Special Groups: LGBTQ
Payment: Pro-bono
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Do you know the reason they are not accepting clients?
A community counseling agency is a group therapy practice that offers affordable mental health services. Most are independent non-profit agencies, state agencies, or publicly-funded agencies. A few may restrict who is eligible for services, so it is a good idea to check when you call.
Community counseling agencies are generally more affordable than other therapy providers, but how much more affordable they are will depend on whether you qualify for a discount or sliding scale fee (or if they accept your insurance). Many, but not all, have a policy that they won't turn away anyone due to inability to pay. You should ask about their fees when you first call.
Expect to talk to kind people who want to help you find the care you need. Most community agencies strive to connect you with a live person within 24 hours, if not immediately. If you're asked to hold or leave a message, don't give up; just leave a message and wait. You should hear back pretty quickly.
Most agencies try to set up an initial assessment appointment within a week (some do within 24 hours), though the waitlist to start therapy is usually longer—about a few weeks on average. If you're not eligible or if the agency is not right for you, it's usually still worth it to call or drop in, because staff are knowledgeable about local options and can often refer you to one.