Online and Telephone Support or Counselling
Due to Covid 19 and government guidelines SV2 cannot provide face to face appointments at the moment. Instead we are offering the option of either telephone or online appointments.
We aim to continue providing support to all our service users as best as we can at this time.
Your individual workers will be contacting you to discuss options of how best to continue your support. Your worker may be an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA), a Children’s Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (CHISVA) , a Children’s Therapist or Adult Therapist.
You will discuss options such as arranging telephone support or through the use of Google Hangouts (this is a web-based resource that allows you video call). If you are not familiar with this your worker will help you in accessing this option.
This is a new way of working for SV2 and therefore please read through the following so you know what to expect at this time.
Your appointments:
- Your telephone or online sessions will be appointment based. Your worker will contact you to arrange the date and time of these appointments.
- The usual cancellation policy will apply if you can’t make your appointment. Please contact your worker directly if you can need to cancel or rearrange.
- Please ensure when you have your appointment that you are in a safe, private space within your home, where you are away from distractions and cannot be overheard. This includes children or other family members.
- The length or your appointment may vary, as you may spend less time on the phone than you would in a face to face arrangement.
- You may book in more regular ‘check in’ appointments during this time.
Please remember that although you will be receiving support over the phone or online, this does NOT mean that your worker will always be available for you to contact outside of your appointment time. We need you to be aware of this for your own safety and would like to outline the following points:
- Your worker will advise you about who you should talk to if you were to be in crisis.
- If you contact your worker directly outside your appointment when you are in crisis or having suicidal thoughts there is no guarantee that they will receive your message during that time.
- We are not an emergency service. We will of course support you as best we can in those situations, but SV2 should not be your first point of call. Please contact your GP, psychiatrist, mental health worker, the Samaritans or the police.
Your environment
It is your responsibility to ensure that when you speak with your worker over the telephone or on line that you are in a private and confidential space.
- Be ready in a room that is private where you cannot be overheard.
- Try not to be distracted with other activities as this will make it difficult for both you and your worker to have a conversation and the appointment might have to be rearranged.
- Wear head phones if possible as this will ensure that other people in your home will not be able to hear your worker. Your worker will also wear headphones if there are other people in their home to ensure that you cannot be heard.
Your safety
- Your worker will talk to you about who you should contact if you were in a crisis.
- If you contact your worker directly outside of your appointments when you are in a crisis or having suicidal feelings there is no guarantee that they will receive your message at that time. We are not an emergency service – of course we will support you as best as we can in those.
- situations but SV2 should not be your first point of call – Please contact your GP, Psychiatrist, Mental Health worker, the Samaritans or the Police.
Our Advice Line is still available every day between 8am and 5pm, including weekends. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any further questions.
You can keep this guidance handy by downloading in here:
