About the conference

Sexual abuse is an attack not only upon the body of a child, but also on their self-esteem, capacity to form relationships and, in the most extreme cases, on their lifelong mental health. How much more serious are these effects when the child has an intellectual disability? And what help is available to help survivors deal with these effects in adult life? Respond, the country’s leading provider of specialist support to people with intellectual disabilities who have experienced abuse or trauma, will seek to answer these questions in a ground-breaking conference that draws together a range of experts and approaches from the fields of psychotherapy, psychology and social care.

The conference will equip clinicians, frontline workers and service providers with ways of supporting individuals’ journeys from trauma to recovery. It will:

  • examine the impact of sexual abuse upon the mind and body of someone with an intellectual disability, with particular emphasis on challenging behaviour as a response to trauma
  • explore techniques that have been demonstrated to relieve survivors of their symptomatology and allowed them to live lives free from the ongoing presence of shame, guilt, fear and rage
  • feature experts on a range of psychotherapeutic techniques, including psychodynamic, psychoanalytic, attachment-based and play therapies
  • examine the notion of vicarious traumatisation, in which the sexual crime has a profound impact not only on the primary victim, but upon all those supporting him or her
  • explore notions of ‘duty of care’, and what this means for all those supporting survivors – paid staff or family members.

Speakers at the event

Chair: Richard Curen Chief Executive, Respond

Dr Valerie Sinason Psychoanalyst and Child Psychotherapist

Dr. Pat Frankish Clinical Psychologist

Sabrina Halliday Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Head of ALD Psychology Services, Somerset Partnership NHS Trust

Debbee Arthur Sexual Abuse and Domestic Violence Project Co-ordinator

Jennifer Bowen Children and Families Practitioner, Respond

Laura Ogi Clinical Psychologist, South Birmingham Primary Care Trust

Petra Mohr and Dimpi Hirani Sexual Abuse and Domestic Violence Project Psychotherapists, Respond

Noelle Blackman Director, Respond

Mark Linington Psychotherapist, Harrow Learning Disability Team

Who should attend

  • Psychotherapists and counsellors
  • Psychiatrists
  • Psychologists
  • Managers
  • Voluntary sector care providers
  • Social workers
  • Private sector care providers
  • Senior members of care staff
  • Social care managers
  • Police

Workshops

A Working with the system:using a systemic approach to supporting people with learning disabilities who have experienced childhood sexual abuse.

B Working with adolescent survivors of child abuse:focusing on some of the specific support needs of adolescent survivors.

C Responding to the needs of staff and families: looking at the specific needs of those supporting people with learning disabilities and drawing upon Respond’s case management model.

D Working at the edge: experiences from the South Birmingham Abuse Service supporting people with learning disabilities who have been sexually abused, and sharing some of the team’s work with people across the spectrum of learning disabilities, including the support offered to families and staff.

E Vicarious Trauma:how can professionals look after themselves when those they are supporting have been affected by abuse and trauma? This workshop will provide some answers to this difficult question by looking at some of the ways in which trauma can be ‘transmitted’ to others.

Pricing

£ 255.00 + VAT for Public sector/educational/charity/NHS'/local gov/voluntary orgs
£ 295.00 + VAT for Central gov/private orgs
£ 195.00 + VAT for Unwaged/student/small vol orgs