What To Expect At Every Stage
Referral
When you get in touch with us for the first time, either by phone or via our online form, we will gather some basic information such as your name, date of birth and contact details.
We will also ask you a few monitoring questions such as your ethnicity and how you would describe your sexuality. This information helps us to get the service right for each individual and demonstrates to our funders that our organisation is available to all members of our community.
We will ask you to briefly say why you are seeking support from our service. We do understand how distressing it can be to provide this information, so just a sentence or two about what happened will give us enough information at this point. All information you share with us is treated with sensitivity and respect.
Occasionally we are not the appropriate service, and if this is the case we will signpost you to a more suitable route. You can find more information on who we do and do not support here.
Once we've taken your referral, we'll ask one of our Specialist Support Team to contact you to arrange an initial appointment, they will contact you within 4 weeks. If you refer yourself using our online form, a member of our team will also contact you within 4 weeks to discuss the next stage.
Initial Appointment
The initial appointment with us is a meeting that gives you the opportunity to find out more about our services and the sort of support we can offer, and helps us ensure we are offering the support you need at the right time.
Your appointment will take place in person at one of our offices (in Barnstaple, Exeter or Torquay), online or over the phone (you can choose which you prefer).
During the initial appointment we focus on how things are for you currently. There is no need, or expectation, for you to talk in any detail about what has happened to you. We appreciate how anxiety provoking a meeting like this can be, and our aim is always to make this experience as comfortable and safe for you as we possibly can.
Here is what some of our current Service Users say about their initial appointment:
During this appointment we will discuss the support options we currently offer and begin a support plan with you.
Waiting List
Like most services we do have a waiting list and we're sorry to say that it can be lengthy. Further information can be found here.
But we do try to support you while you are on our waiting list. You have the option of receiving a call from us approximately every 8 weeks. These calls are a safe space to discuss what is going on for you whilst you're waiting for regular direct support.
These calls are completely optional and you can choose to start or stop receiving them at any time while you're on the waiting list.
There are also support options that you can opt to access whilst you are waiting for direct support from us. We will discuss all these options with you in your initial appointment.
Direct Support
We offer Direct Specialist Support, Advocacy and Therapeutic Support, delivered individually or as a group, at a pace you are comfortable with.
Direct support sessions are offered, online, over the phone, or in person at one of our bases – You can choose which works best for you.
If you choose in-person support, our rooms are comfortable and thoughtfully designed to create a warm and safe space to explore your thoughts and feelings.
We have learned since the Covid-19 pandemic that online and telephone sessions are also extremely effective, and our specialist support workers are very skilled at working remotely. You may prefer to be in a place that's familiar to you, you may not want to or be able to travel, or you may just be short of time - for all these reasons we know that remote sessions can work really well for some people.