LivingWell is a Queensland resource which offers a range of services specifically designed to assist men who have experienced childhood sexual abuse or sexual assault, their partners, friends and family and service providers. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual abuse as a child, or adult, please know that you are not alone. Support and assistance is available. LivingWell currently provides the following services.
Web resources The LivingWell web resource is designed to act as a collection point for information and resources that are useful for men who have been subjected to sexual violence and their supporters. We invite those visiting the site to adopt a practical approach, to treat the resource as a kind of tool kit that you pick up and use as you see fit, leaving to one side things that aren’t helpful or you just don’t need right now. This site is still under construction. We therefore welcome suggestions and contributions to further develop the resource in ways that are useful to men who have experienced sexual violence. In the future we hope we will be able to provide email and online counselling and a fully managed forum. In the mean time, if there is some particular piece of information that you would like and can’t find it, please let us know.
Face to face counselling We are now able to offer face to face counselling for individuals, couples and families at our North Brisbane office. We understand that you might want to speak to someone before making an appointment, in order to decide whether counselling is for you or just check us out. The service is accessible by bus, rail and road. Disability access and parking is available.
Telephone counselling Like face to face counselling, telephone counselling is available by appointment. We recognize that telephone counselling is a practical way for men and their supporters to access information and support. Sometimes, people can feel more comfortable talking things through on the phone than in person. Telephone contact can be used to talk through concerns about confidentiality or privacy, to bridge distance and time constraints, even to help decide if counselling is what you want. Note. Interpreting services can be pre-arranged for either face to face or telephone counselling.
Training and Consultation At LivingWell, we recognise the importance of not just raising public awareness, but providing people with practical assistance and professional support. We can provide training and professional development in the form of short public talks, presentations or 2 full day workshops designed to “Build worker confidence and competence in working with men who have experienced childhood sexual abuse or sexual assault’. Our wish to enhance worker skills and knowledge has led us to offer both formal and informal consultations to fellow professionals working with men who have experienced sexual violence and their supporters.
Service Development LivingWell is an initiative of Spiritus - Kinections that was originally established through a grant from the Queensland Gambling Community Benefit Fund and the generous assistance of private donors. In July 2009 we received additional funding from the Community Services Commission of the Anglican Church, which will allow us to meet our ongoing costs, to expand our face to face counselling services and to enhance our research, training and resource development. We are extremely grateful to the men and women who have supported the development of this resource.
Thank you.