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Individual Support

The highly qualified staff at The STAR Centre: Rape Crisis Ayrshire offer specialist therapeutic and emotional support and psychosocial education to survivors of any type of sexual violence in a safe, non-judgemental space. 

We can help you understand what you are going through and support you in finding ways to cope and move forward. You will initially be offered nine, fortnightly sessions, each lasting up to 50 minutes with an experienced support worker after which we will discuss with you what support you need going forward.

You can choose to have your sessions face to face in our Kilmarnock office, or via telephone or video conferencing.

Support for Young People

We are currently able to offer support to young people age 13+. These sessions are delivered by staff with additional expertise in working with younger people and all resources used are age appropriate. These sessions can be delivered face to face in our Kilmarnock office or in a confidential space in the young person’s school.

Group Support

Our group sessions allow survivors to feel less alone while working through what has happened to them. Group programmes are run throughout the year. The next group is scheduled for summer 2024.

Support for Friends and Family

Supporting someone after they have experienced sexual violence can be difficult. You might be worried that you'll say the wrong thing, or hurt the person you care about. You might feel angry, hurt, guilty or confused. You might be experiencing trauma of your own. Our support staff can offer specialist therapeutic and emotional support and advice in a safe, non-judgemental space. 

Being able to empathise and understand what someone is going through after an experience of sexual violence is so important. We can help you understand what you, and your loved one are going through and support you both in finding ways to cope and move forward.

Additional Resources and Support

We run monthly group sessions for parents and caregivers supporting a child after sexual abuse. 

The two hour sessions are aimed at helping parents/carers:

  • Understand trauma responses
  • Challenge rape myths
  • Create a safe space
  • Learn important grounding techniques

Sign up for one of sessions here. 

Whole Family Support (North Ayrshire Only):

Thanks to funding from the North Ayrshire Whole Family Wellbeing Fund, we have been able to expand the range of support we can provide to families in North Ayrshire. We can support the whole family following an incident of child sexual abuse or assault (we only support the non-abusing family members). We can also offer support and advise about the criminal justice process.

We will typically support children aged 8+, but it may be possible to support younger children depending on the circumstances. The support can take place in our centre in Kilmarnock or in the child's school or other local community centre, subject to availability.

We also have a dedicated resource page for friends, family and romantic partners of those that have experienced sexual violence.

Rape Crisis Scotland Helpline

Get in touch any day between 5pm – midnight:
Call: 08088 01 03 02
Text: 07537 410 027
Email: support@rapecrisisscotland.org.uk 
Webchat: www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk

The Rape Crisis Scotland helpline offers confidential short-term, crisis and initial support by phone, email, webchat and text. Our phone, email and webchat support is free and texts will be charged at your normal network rate. Calls to us do not show on your bill.

We support people of all genders living in Scotland aged 13+ who have been affected by sexual violence. It doesn’t matter what happened or how long ago, and you don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to. We support survivors, as well as family, friends and supporters.

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This #TransAwarenessWeek we've created a series of infographics which explain some key terms related to gender, so we can all have a better understanding of the diverse experiences within the trans+ community💖 Transphobia means: Discriminatory or prejudiced actions or ideas related to someone’s actual or perceived gender identity or gender expression or erasure of trans identities. Credit to @EqualityNetwork for their fantastic LGBTI glossary (link in bio)
This #TransAwarenessWeek we've created a series of infographics which explain some key terms related to gender, so we can all have a better understanding of the diverse experiences within the trans+ community💖 Gender expression describes the external characteristics and behaviours that are typically socially defined as masculine, feminine, or somewhere in between, such as clothing, hairstyle, make-up, mannerisms, speech patterns and social interactions. Credit to @EqualityNetwork for their fantastic LGBTI glossary (link in bio)
One week to go until #ReclaimTheNight ! Stay tuned to learn more about the history of the march and why it is still important to us today #EndGBV #NoExcuse
Today is #InternationalMensDay ! At The STAR Centre we support anybody that has experienced sexual violence - this includes men and boys (13+). • Recent crime stats estimate that around a quarter of victims of ‘other sexual crime’ (such as indecent exposure, making someone watch pornography, online sexual abuse) are male. • Around 6% of victims of rape and attempted rape, and around 13% of victims of sexual assault are male. 2% of men in Scotland have been raped • Many men never report what has happened to the police (fewer than one in five) so recorded crimes are only a small percentage of actual occurrence rates. Source: @rapecrisisscot The vast majority (90-95%) of perpetrators of sexual violence (regardless of the gender of the survivor) identify as male and as straight. If you are a man who has experienced sexual violence, it has happened because of who the abuser is, not who you are. It is an act of violence, and was not your fault You can get support and further information from us at The STAR Centre by calling 01563 544686 or by visiting our website (Link In Bio)
This #TransAwarenessWeek we've created a series of infographics which explain some key terms related to gender, so we can all have a better understanding of the diverse experiences within the trans+ community💖 A person's gender identity refers to their internal sense of who they are, and how they see themself in regards to being a man, a woman, or somewhere in between/beyond these identities. Credit to @EqualityNetwork for their fantastic LGBTI glossary (linked in our bio)
This #TransAwarenessWeek we've created a series of infographics which explain some key terms related to gender, so we can all have a better understanding of the diverse experiences within the trans+ community💖 The
This #TransAwarenessWeek we've created a series of infographics which explain some key terms related to gender, so we can all have a better understanding of the diverse experiences within the trans+ community💖 Non-Binary is used to refer to those that identify as either having a gender which is in-between or beyond the two categories ‘man’ and ‘woman’, as fluctuating between ‘man’ and ‘woman’, or as having no gender, either permanently or some of the time. Credit to @EqualityNetwork for their fantastic LGBTI glossary (Link in Bio)
This #TransAwarenessWeek we've created a series of infographics which explain some key terms related to gender, so we can all have a better understanding of the diverse experiences within the trans+ community💖 Cis or Cisgender refers to a person who identifies with the sex they were assigned at birth. Cisgender is the word for anyone who is not transgender. Credit to @EqualityNetwork for their fantastic LGBTI glossary which you can access through the link in our bio!
This #TransAwarenessWeek we've created a series of infographics which explain some key terms related to gender, so we can all have a better understanding of the diverse experiences within the trans+ community💖 Trans or Transgender is an inclusive umbrella term for anyone whose gender identity or gender expression does not fully correspond with the sex they were assigned at birth. Credit to @lgbtiscotland for their fantastic LGBTI glossary which can be found on the link in our bio for anyone that wants to know more!
🌈✨ Trans Awareness Week ✨🌈 Trans awareness week runs from the 13th-20th of November. 💖 At the STAR Centre, we offer free and confidential support to anyone who has experienced any type of sexual violence, at any time in their lives. This includes trans+ survivors of sexual violence, who deserve compassionate care and a safe space to heal. 🌟 #TransAwarenessWeek #SupportSurvivors #EndSexualViolence
Has your school signed up to @rapecrisisscot 's ESAS programme? Swipe to find out more about what it is and how you can get involved !
🌙✨ Reclaim the Night 2024, November 26th 2024✊ This #16DaysOfActivism Join us for a powerful march to raise our voices against gender-based violence, harassment, and all forms of oppression. The night belongs to us all! 🌙 **Event details**: 📅 Date: 26/11/24 ⏰ Time: 5.30pm 📍 Location: Leaving from Tesco Extra’s Car Park, W. Shaw St. Kilmarnock, KA1 4BS. Teas & coffees available @ WG13 afterwards. Bring your energy, your signs, and your friends! The more voices, the stronger the message. Together, we can create change. 🌟 Let’s make some noise! 🔊 #ReclaimTheNight #EndGenderBasedViolence #SafeNightsForAll #Solidarity #MarchForChange
Mark it in your calendars! From November 25th to December 10th organisations across the world will be taking part in #16DaysOfActivism against gender-based violence. Visit our website to see what The STAR Centre is doing to take action against gender-based violence: https://www.starcentreayrshire.org/16-days/
[TW: responses to sexual violence] For this month's #MythBustingMonday we're looking at the myth that people scream, run or fight back when faced with sexual violence. It’s really common for people who experience sexual violence to “freeze” in the moment. This does not mean that they consented, or that what happened was
Are you interested in Volunteering? Do you want to get involved in the fight against Sexual Violence in Ayrshire? Do you want to help us support survivors of sexual violence? Register your interest in volunteering with us at The STAR Centre here: https://www.starcentreayrshire.org/volunteer/ and we'll be in touch with what we can do!
🎃 Costumes are NOT Consent 👻 If you're are heading out to celebrate Halloween this year remember: no matter how spooky, scary, or bold the costume, always respect boundaries. Halloween should be fun for everyone - let's keep it that way by asking for consent and respecting personal boundaries. 💜 #CostumesAreNOTConsent #BoundariesAreBOOtiful #AnyBodyAnyTypeAnyTime
Today we were so excited to get our first donation from thebeautybanks with sanitary products, toothbrushes, deodorant, moisturiser & other beauty products! 💜 Beauty Banks receive surplus products from the beauty industry’s supply chain, donations from corporate brand partners, small businesses and members of the public. The products are then redistributed to frontline charities and community groups. You don’t need to be a charity to receive products. A great charity which is going to be a great help for our service users going forward, we are very grateful 💜
Keep an eye out for our badges at stalls over #16daysofaction this November/December! Which one will you be picking up?
Please help us improve our garden space for survivors of sexual violence! If you are a @coopuk member, you can support The STAR Centre by choosing us as your local cause! Find out more and sign up in the link in our bio!
Seeking out support when you need it is an act of self-care. The Rape Crisis Scotland helpline is here if you need to talk, from 5pm - midnight, every night. ☎️ 08088 01 03 02 📲 07537 410 027 [our text number will show on your bill] 📧 support@rapecrisisscotland.org.uk 💻 www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk [webchat]
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