Ascent Counselling

The Ascent Counselling Service is a specialist therapeutic support service for women and girls aged 16 and over, who are survivors of domestic abuse and/or sexual violence. This can include physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, financial abuse, coercive control, honour-based violence, FGM, stalking, prostitution, harassment, and other harmful practices.

Our counselling service is delivered as part of the Ascent Advice and Counselling partnership.

1:1 Counselling

We offer one-to-one counselling sessions to women aged 16+, who have a significant connection with one of the London boroughs we support. Our counsellors create a safe space for them to explore the impact of violence on their lives and help them to recover from the long-term impact.

The service covers 1 assessment and up to 20 counselling sessions. We also offer pre-trial therapy.

The Ascent Counselling Service is available in 21 London boroughs:

Referrals

We work with women who:

• Have given their explicit consent to be referred to the service.
• Have a significant connection with the following boroughs: Barking & Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Haringey, Havering, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Westminster (i.e., living, working, education, GP services or children’s nursery/school).
• Have been affected by domestic or sexual abuse either recently, currently or in the past. This can mean physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, or financial including coercive control, and other harmful practices.
• Want and can commit to regular counselling sessions on a weekly basis, are able to manage their time to attend and make appropriate childcare arrangements.
• Are not high-risk victims of domestic abuse.
• Are emotionally robust enough to manage their own safety in terms of coping with possible anxiety or emotional pain that might come up without this posing a risk to their well-being.
• Want to make changes happen for themselves and are willing to consider personal possibilities.
• Are psychologically well enough to maintain contact for the duration of the time agreed.
• Are not currently receiving counselling with another service or about to start soon.

The counselling service is unable to provide crisis intervention support or give emergency appointments if a service user is in immediate psychological crisis and potentially at risk. If this is the case, please refer client to GP or to the appropriate Community Mental Health Team (CMHT). In an emergency, please call an ambulance on 999. 

If there is an ongoing police investigation, or if a client is required to attend as a witness in criminal court proceedings for domestic and/or sexual violence, we may be able to provide pre-trial support sessions.

We are currently unable to accept new referrals for counselling.

Important information for professionals: If you wish to receive a notification when Solace opens for counselling referrals, please email counselling@solacewomensaid.org, requesting that we add you to our mailing list. Please include a list of the boroughs you support. You will then receive email notifications each time we open and close those boroughs.

www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/grants