A lack of local support for adult survivors of child abuse has prompted a Geelong man to launch one himself.
With a 50-year-nursing career under his belt Michael Constable says that now he’s retired, he has the capacity to enable others access to help he knows works.
“There’s a lack of this sort of group across the board, just about everywhere,” he said.
“The only chance people get to talk together and share their experiences are often by professionally run groups that are for a set time and a set membership, under a set service provider.
“I don’t know of any survivor-led groups that are run by survivors for survivors.”
A survivor himself, Mr Constable has run similar groups in St Kilda and Williamstown, where he counselled people for free.
“When we have a venue, which I’m looking for currently, which won’t charge, I don’t need to charge people coming to this sort of group,” he said.
He’s currently canvassing the level of need in the community for such a service, and searching for a non-faith based space he and other survivors can get together in without any overheads.
“We would be pleased to make use of whatever we could find,” he said.
“The groups I’ve run before have been a fortnightly meeting in a certain area and that’s worked well, but the demand might be such that we need to do more if the capacity is there to do it.”
Mr Constable shares his insights into the effects of childhood abuse and trauma via his blog, Conversations About Life. www.conversationsaboutlife.org
He says people interested in joining the group, or offering up a space for them to meet, can contact him by leaving a message, name and number on 0403 425 627
