Safeline exists to help support individuals who have either suffered sexual abuse or might be at risk of such abuse. In many cases, these issues can leave emotional scars that then lead to mental health issues, so Safeline provides the opportunity to discuss these feelings in a safe way with those who understand and who can help in the recovery process following these incidents.
There has been much publicity this month around the recent Heads Together campaign headed up by the royal family.
What is the Heads Together campaign?
The Heads Together campaign was started by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry and was formed out of a joint desire to bring about greater awareness to mental health and how we can all help to bring about an end to the stigma that surrounds it. Harry and William formed an especially close bond with the campaign as they have each suffered trauma following the death of their mother Princess Diana, and Harry has publicly spoken out about how he found the need to seek counselling in the years following.
The campaign is a way to bring together a culmination of other mental health charities and projects and bring them into the limelight, whilst at the same time helping them all to work together towards the common goal of supporting issues with mental health. The campaign has seen a year of publicity that culminated on the 23rd April with the London Marathon, where the Heads Together campaign was the charity of the year. At the event, 700 people ran in support of the campaign and raised much-needed funds to help towards all of the projects.
How has this campaign helped people suffering from mental health?
This campaign aimed to help people in a wide array of aspects regarding mental health. The biggest being to raise awareness and by having the royal family as figureheads behind it, it was hoped that more people would take the issue seriously and join the fight to put an end to it.
In a more financial sense, the campaign has raised a lot of money to be put towards the charities, which cover support for many conditions and situations in which mental health issues can arise. This includes mothers going through pregnancy, male suicide, those who experienced trauma as a soldier, young people and families to name a few. Together, the charities brought together here cover all aspects of mental health. The money will be put towards a mix of new and innovative projects, as well as funding more immediate needs.
It also serves as a way for those with mental health issues to become aware of the services that are on offer to them and how they can be helped. Statistics suggest that due to the campaign, which started in May 2016, charities have seen on average a 50% increase in the demand for the services they offer.
Some mental health statistics and facts
- To bring things into perspective as to the UK’s need for these resources, https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics are some statistics regarding UK mental health.
- Around 4-10% of UK citizens will experience some form of depression in their life
- Poorer and more disadvantaged citizens are at more risk to be greatly affected by mental health disorders
- Around 20% of days lost in work in the UK are due to anxiety or depression
- Around 1 in 6 adults has or has had a mental disorder
- Around 18,220 with mental health disorders took their own lives between 2003 and 2013
- For every 15 people, roughly one of them will have attempted suicide in their lifetime
What services do Safeline offer?
Safeline offers a multitude of services to those affected by sexual abuse and rape both directly and indirectly, such as friends and relatives of those abused. These services include the following:
Counselling
This includes online, telephone and face-to-face counselling depending on the needs of the individual. It can be extended as far as creative therapies which include drama and art therapy.
Prevention Projects
Peer mentoring, one-to-one support and projects that allow Safeline to train people on how to keep those they know safe from rape, to prevent it from occurring.
National Helpline
This is available 6 days a week, from Monday to Saturday, and there is a dedicated UK male helpline for those who should seek to use it. This can be used to provide immediate emotional support
as well as advice to those affected by rape. It can be reached via online chat, text or telephone. More details can be found on www.safeline.org.uk/contact-us.
Independent Sexual Violence Advisors
ISVA is a way to provide specialist support to those victims who have chosen to report their incident to the police and need to follow through the emotional journey of CJS.
Training
This is vital in helping families and professionals to protect those they know and love and to keep them away from circumstances where rape could arise.
We #BelieveInYou and we are here to help. Please reach out to us for support.
