How to access our Service

Our waiting list is currently closed and we are not taking new client referrals. We will update the website as soon as we are able to take referrals again so please do check back regularly.  In the meantime – please keep reading to see if this is the right service for you:

Our service

We offer specialist psychotherapy and wellbeing courses for women survivors of abuse and trauma, who are experiencing symptoms of trauma. This includes traumatic experiences such as rape and sexual abuse, domestic abuse, emotional abuse or neglect, sexual exploitation or stalking. We also offer therapeutic group activities.

About our waiting list

When you are signposted to our service, it is possible that our waiting list will be closed. Demand for free specialist psychotherapy services is extremely high and far outstrips the number of therapy places available. We appreciate this is frustrating and we are working hard to increase the availability of our service.

Registering to join the waiting list

When our waiting list is open, you will be asked to complete a registration form in order to join the waiting list.

It is important to be aware that this waiting list is a waiting list for assessment and we cannot guarantee that the outcome of assessment will be to make an offer of therapy.

Our waiting list will be open for a specific time frame, and you will be given a date by which you need to return your registration form in order to join the waiting list. Regrettably we are not able to accept registration forms after this date, and if you do not return your registration form you will need to wait until our waiting list re-opens in order to submit it.

Assessment and what we will offer you

We aim to meet with you within approximately 8 weeks of you registering to join the waiting list, to check if you’re in the right place for the right service and to explore if you could benefit from a place in one of our therapeutic activities or a place on our therapeutic wellbeing course. It is our aim to see you within 8 weeks but as a small charity offering a free service we cannot guarantee this.  

• If we feel you would benefit from one of our therapeutic group activities, you will be able to attend this session with immediate effect.

• If we feel you would benefit from our therapeutic wellbeing support, we will aim to offer you this opportunity within three months.

• If we feel you would benefit from psychotherapy in addition to this, or instead of this, we will add you to the waiting list for therapy. It is our aim to place clients in therapy within six months, however depending upon our funding this waiting period can be over a year.

• Saffron has 29 years’ experience of supporting women to recover and rebuild their lives after abuse and trauma. Try to keep an open mind as our assessing therapist will recommend the options they think will be most helpful to you.

• If we think another service would be more appropriate for you, we will signpost you on.

Our service is free, but we invite all clients to give as little or as much as they can, so that we can support as many women as possible to recover and rebuild their lives after abuse and trauma.

FAQs – individual therapy

What does SWCTS offer? We offer free, confidential, individual therapy to women who have experienced some kind of trauma or abuse. This includes traumatic experiences such as rape and sexual abuse, domestic abuse, emotional abuse or neglect, sexual exploitation or stalking.

Who can use our service and what does it cost? Our service is available to women in Sheffield over the age of 16 who have experienced abuse and trauma. All of our services are free thanks to public donations and the funding we receive from charities like the Big Lottery Fund and Comic Relief as well as funding from the local NHS. We always welcome donations – every penny really does help. If you or someone you know is able to make a donation please go here.

How do I make an appointment for therapy? You can contact us directly by phone, text or email. If you would like a support worker or other person to make the first contact on your behalf they can contact us too; we would then get in touch directly with you to make sure that you want to access our service.

How soon can I see a therapist?

We aim to meet with you within approximately 8 weeks of you registering to join the waiting list, to check if you’re in the right place for the right service and to explore if you could benefit from a place in one of our therapeutic activities or a place on our therapeutic wellbeing course. It is our aim to see you within 8 weeks but as a small charity offering a free service we cannot guarantee this.  

• If we feel you would benefit from one of our therapeutic group activities, you will be able to attend this session with immediate effect.

• If we feel you would benefit from our therapeutic wellbeing support, we will aim to offer you this opportunity within three months.

• If we feel you would benefit from psychotherapy in addition to this, or instead of this, we will add you to the waiting list for therapy. It is our aim to place clients in therapy within six months, however depending upon our funding this waiting period can be over a year. We will offer you a number of sessions based on your own situation – it varies because every woman’s situation is unique.

• Saffron has 29 years’ experience of supporting women to recover and rebuild their lives after abuse and trauma. Try to keep an open mind as our assessing therapist will recommend the options they think will be most helpful to you.

• If we think another service would be more appropriate for you, we will signpost you on.

What is therapy like? 

When you start therapy, you’ll meet one-to-one with one of our therapists in regular weekly sessions which last just under an hour. Your therapist will listen to you without judging you or trying to tell you what to do.

English is not my first language – can you help me?

We currently have therapists who work in Arabic, Urdu and Punjabi as well as English.  Where we do not have a therapist who speaks your language,  depending on the circumstances we will explore the possibility of providing an interpreter; please note it may not always be possible.