Working with Prisons 26.02.25 - 香港六合彩精准资料 - British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Working with Prisons
Working with Clients in prison, who are survivors of sexual abuse

Programme

This online event will offer counselling practitioners and leaders of third sector counselling services the opportunity to hear from experts and practitioners working with clients in prison who are survivors of sexual abuse.

Presenters will give insights and knowledge that will challenge and encourage learners to reflect on the psychological support needs of people in prison and the value and impact that improving access to counselling can have for individuals, the prison estate, and our wider society.

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Programme

Click on the sessions to find out more.听If you are viewing this page on a mobile, rotate your screen to view the programme.

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9.30am - 9.40am	Welcome & Introductions
9.40am - 10.40am	Working with clients in prison who are survivors of sexual abuse, presented by Isabel Owens, Maddy Hauxwell and Dr Kate O鈥橞rien
10.40am 鈥�10.50am	Break
10.50am 鈥�11.50am	Improve access to pre-trial services for survivors of trauma in prison, presented by Emma Harewood & Gemma Halliwell
11.50am 鈥�12.00pm	Break
12.00pm 鈥�1.00pm	Behind the Door: An exploration of working therapeutically with male survivors of sexual abuse in the prison estate presented by Aisling Coogan & Gareth Parker
1:00pm - 1:30pm	Panel discussion
1.30pm	Event close

This programme is subject to change.

Working with clients in prison who are survivors of sexual abuse

9.40am 鈥� 10.40am

The session focuses on The Believed Project, a innovative initiative supporting women in prison who have experienced sexual violence and abuse. Piloted between 2018 and 2020 at HMP Low Newton, the project offered a 20-week counselling program, a 12-week Recovery Toolkit group, and staff training on trauma-informed care. Over 200 women engaged with the services, many reporting improved emotional regulation, decision-making, and self-confidence.

Key highlights included the project鈥檚 feminist therapeutic approach, emphasizing belief, empathy, and empowerment. Counsellors fostered trust and safety in sessions, enabling participants to confront trauma and reclaim their autonomy. Testimonies highlighted significant outcomes, such as decreased self-harm, better family relationships, and reduced recidivism risks. However, challenges like insufficient private spaces, prison culture barriers, and limited support upon transfer or release were identified.

The session will include reflections from a counsellor, Maddy Hauxwell, supporting women in HMP Low Newton alongside RSACC CEO, Isabel Owens, who will speak about the opportunities and challenges of bringing specialist sexual violence support into a prison setting. You will also hear from Professor Kate O鈥橞rian, who conducted the evaluation of the project and will speak about her recommendations on the need for systemic investment in specialised sexual violence services, promoting a trauma-responsive prison culture.

identify Psychological Support Needs: Gain insights into the unmet psychological and emotional support needs of women in prison who have experienced sexual violence and abuse.
understand Challenges and Solutions: Explore the barriers to implementing therapy in prison settings, including prison culture and logistical constraints, and learn about effective approaches to overcome them.
learn Adaptation Strategies and Effective Practices: Discover how therapists have adapted their practice to meet the unique needs of prisoners, focusing on 鈥榳hat works鈥� in fostering trust, safety, and engagement.
enhance Practitioner Awareness: Reflect on lessons learned from The Believed Project to inform and improve counselling practices in prison.

Isabel Owens - CEO, RSACC - Isabel has led RSACC for the past 3 years. She has worked in developing and leading services for survivors of sexual violence across Darlington and County Durham for 7 years. She developed and led RSACC鈥檚 work in prisons.

Maddy Hauxwell听has worked a counsellor supporting survivors of sexual violence for over 8 years. She has been supporting women in HMP Low Newton since 2018.

Dr Kate O鈥橞rien is an Associate Professor in Criminology, at Durham University Co-Director of the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Programme and has been teaching the programme at undergraduate and postgraduate level at HMP Durham, HMP Frankland and HMP Low Newton women鈥檚 prison since she arrived at Durham University in 2014.听 Her research combines theoretical analysis with practical policy recommendations, aiming to address structural inequalities within criminal justice systems. She advocates for reform that moves away from punitive measures and toward restorative, rehabilitative, and community-centered approaches. Her current work is the area women, families and imprisonment and is involved in various funded projects, including projects on the harms associated with the early days in custody; 听parental rights in custody; 听women in the prison population with involvement in the sex industry, and the role of Rape Crisis affiliated organisations in supporting women in prison settings. Kate is currently collaborating on a Building Futures project with The Prison Reform Trust with men at HMP Frankland.听

Improve access to pre-trial services for survivors of trauma in prison听

10.50am 鈥� 11.50am

The Bluestar Project was designed to improve access to pre-trial services for survivors of trauma when a report has been made to the police. Our mission is to ensure that every survivor has an offer of support pre-trial 鈥� ensuring recovery and agency within the criminal justice process.听 We know that access to therapy and support services is absolutely critical for survivors of trauma.

Through our training and in our network spaces, we have heard about the added complexity of supporting people who are victims of sexual abuse at the same time being alleged or convicted of other crimes.听As we have been training services, like the Nelson Trust, who work with women in prison, who have experienced sexual abuse whilst also being convicted of other crimes; we identified the added complexities. Additionally we have working with providers of support services for young people after HSB, and have identified a number of additional dilemmas.

The session will enable members to:听

our national research (Keeping Secrets)
key principles from the CPS Pre-Trial Therapy Guidance
practice advice for working within the Bluestar National Best Practice Standards

Behind the door: An exploration of working therapeutically with male survivors of sexual abuse in the prison estate.

12.00pm - 1.00pm

We know that the stigma attached to males discussing experiences of general and sexual trauma makes it very difficult for individuals to disclose what may have happened to them.

In this session we aim to present a balanced view of the struggles of breaking this taboo and a give a comprehensive understanding of the delivery of therapy in prison when faced with such stigma, including the unique mental health and physical needs of prisoners.

We seek to highlight the role of therapy in rehabilitation and the importance of partnership working with colleagues within the prison and on the out to give a consistent and trauma informed approach to some of most marginalised people in the country.听

attendees will be able to explain the unique mental health challenges faced by the prison population and factors contributing to these challenges
attendees will be able to identify and describe challenges involved in delivering effective therapy in prisons such as resource limitations, security issues and stigma)
attendees will gain an understanding on how OUT Spoken contributes to prisoner rehabilitations and can reduce recidivism
an understanding will be had of the importance of the collaboration between all prison staff, healthcare staff, therapists and probation in supporting the right care for prisoners is implemented
attendees will be able to discuss ethical dilemmas and legal responsibilities relating to mental health care in prisons

Aisling Coogan is the Service Manager for the OUT Spoken Service at We Are Survivors. She holds a BA in Social and Community Development from Ireland, a BA in Humanistic Counselling from the University of Nottingham, and a Post Graduate Diploma from University College Cork. Aisling became a practicing psychotherapist in 2018, specializing in trauma and sexual abuse survivors.

Her career began in substance misuse services, where she worked for 10 years. While working in a Yorkshire prison, Aisling recognised the need for trauma therapy services and applied for a position at We Are Survivors. She joined OUT Spoken in 2021 as a Senior Trauma-Informed Therapist.

As Drug and Alcohol lead in prisons, Aisling has organised awareness events, including a remembrance walk for Overdose Awareness Day and a screening of the Recovery Film Festival. In 2022, she facilitated a "Stitch Away the Stigma" group at HMP Buckley Hall.

Gareth Parker is a Service Manager at We Are Survivors' OUT Spoken program and a qualified Counsellor since 2017. He began his counselling career at HMP Styal, then worked with young people in schools across Preston, Chorley, and South Ribble. During his work, Gareth discovered many clients struggled with hidden traumas, often not understanding their reactions and blaming themselves. This drove him to explore trauma鈥檚 effects on the brain and its broader impact. To deepen his understanding, he completed courses on trauma and its healing process. After three years working with young people, Gareth transitioned back to supporting male trauma survivors in prisons, joining OUT Spoken in 2022. Using his knowledge of trauma and his experience in prisons, Gareth has helped establish and manage eight of OUT Spoken鈥檚 15 prison programs in the North West while also maintaining his own caseload. He achieved 香港六合彩精准资料 accreditation in 2022.