EN
ESAssistance. Counselling. Accompaniment.
To witness / experience a crime firsthand can unsettle one’s whole life and its foundation profoundly. Powerlessness, helplessness, anger, rage, fear and shame are emotions that can overpower and deflate affected people. Joining in are often inner restlessness and agitation, nightmares, flashbacks and insomnia (sleeplessness). Victim Support Seehaus assists people who have been harmed by crime as well as their families and loved ones in this difficult situation and in the aftermath of the offence.
We support the victims in dealing with and working through their traumatic experience. We transparently point out ways how to react in a healthy and healing way to what has happened and accompany / assist the clients in going them. According to the principles of participation and empowerment and while valuing the victims’ own personal and social resources, we collaboratively develop strategies for the further steps in their healing process. Our aim and desire is that the people, directly and indirectly affected by crime, can find their way back into a normal life as stabilized, confident and self-effective survivors, who have strengthened their resilience and integrated the experience into their biography.
Offers and methods of support for victims and their loved ones:
- We listen to you with empathically and non-judgmental, validating your experiences
- We assist you in finding inner rest after the offence
- We assist you directly after the offence as well as before and during the time of the trial, as well as in the process of working through the consequences of the suffered offences – even if they occurred long ago
- We offer you accompaniment and pastoral ministry
- We inform, counsel and support you with regards to juridical matters and diverse victim support offers
- We advice you concerning financial and practical questions relating to the crime
- We inform you about police and court procedures
- When the need arises, we liaise with specific professionals like lawyers, or mental and physical health practitioners and organize referrals
Our concrete victim support offers are:
- Personal counselling sessions
- Online– and phone-counselling
- Targeted assistance for male juveniles and young adults (see Revive below)
- Self-help groups
- Victims and offenders in conversation (see VOC)
Revive – Help for young people between 16 and 25 years after a trauma
Did you have to make a traumatic experience in your life (for example: death of loved ones, war, escape or violence)? Would you like to exchange views with other youngsters and young adults who had to go through similar experiences? Would you like to learn how to improve living with the symptoms you are suffering from and to reduce them? Then the group “Revive” is the perfectly right place for you.
The group program is an additional offer besides the individual trauma-counselling (see victim support) and trauma-therapy. It serves the stabilization after a traumatic event and the verbal exchange with others. Many young people experience it as helpful and relieving to meet peers who made similar experiences. In such a community they feel understood.
The group is about new discoveries of possessed strength, self-efficacy and the capability to act, a better self-regulation and the development of strategies to cope with resulting trauma-symptoms.
The intention is that you make the experience that you can succeed in life REGARDLESS.
The group consists of not more than 8 participants and is being led by a trauma educationalist as well as two assisting staff members. The program is held in German, interpreters can assist if required. Precondition for the participation is a signed enrolment form (signature of the legal guardian is required by underage participants).
„Revive“ takes part during the week between 17:30 – 20:00 in the trauma- and victim-counselling centre in Esslingen, Heilbronner Straße 50 (2. floor). The program is free of charge. „Revive“ is also being offered on request in Bad Liebenzell.
The specific dates and times can be enquired about by Elvira Pfleiderer (Esslingen) and Petra Mack (Bad Liebenzell). One program consists of six consecutive evenings, which take part once every two weeks. If possible, all six appointments should be attended.
The six topics of the group evenings are:
Session 1: What is a trauma? And what happens in my brain?
Session 2: How can I improve my self-regulation and reduce stress?
Session 3: What can I do in case of sleeplessness (insomnia) and nightmares?
Session 4: What are flashbacks and dissociative states? How can I better cope with these?
Session 5: What helps in case of a racing heart, a state of anxiety, panic, etc.?
Session 6: Celebrating life! Discovering and utilizing resources and sources of strength! Planning and designing my future!
Further group offers on request (different locations possible):
- Trauma-Stabilization Groups for children, aged 6–12 years
- Trauma-Stabilization Groups for youngsters and young adults, aged 16–25 years
- Grief Group for adults after a severe traumatic loss