Online Support:
Research informs us that there is a disparity between the health of men and women in the UK. Men are not accessing GP Surgeries, healthcare services and mental health provisions as much as women are, and its certainly not that men are any healthier then their female counterparts!
Like many others, we believe that the pressure society puts on men to behave and act in a certain way, to suppress emotions and not show their true feelings, and to keep that 'stiff upper lip' all goes someway to explain this disparity. It simply perpetuates the verbal silence and often silent suffering of men - especially as victims of sexual abuse and rape.
Survivors Manchester was established in order to support male survivors of sexual abuse and rape in Manchester, regardless of when or where the abuse took place. In this section, we would like to detail the different types of support available and how you can access our services.
Staying Safe Online:
Staying safe is important, especially online. Maybe you don't want anyone to know your looking at this site at the moment. So in order to help you cover your tracks, we have provided you with some useful information
Social Networking:
In order for you to be able to engage with us in a way that you feel most comfortable and safe with, not only do we have this site but we can also be found on social networking sites Facebook, Myspace and Twitter.
Click on a logo below to open the relevant site of your choice a new window.
Joining our FaceBook site can be really useful in connecting with others from the safety of your own home and see your not alone. We have set permissions so only people who have been accepted as 'friends' can view our page and only members can view other members' pages.
Our myspace page means there is another way to feel less isolated, to remind you your on your own and connect. Experience is unique to each and every one of us, but don't forget that we often also share the legacy of abuse. Don't isolate... break the silence and know you're not alone.
We're now on twitter so you can see what we thinking, follow what we're doing, and generally get to know us. Getting to know us a bit more will help you build up your confidence and allow us to gain your trust so that when the time comes that you feel you want to engage and connect, you can do it a lot more easily.
Email Support:
Sometimes just writing down how you feel can be a huge step towards healing. Showing someone else what you've written is an even bigger step, its speaking out. However, we can feel like we don't know who to turn to or maybe we will be judged if people hear what's really going on for us.
To give you the ability to have someone listen to you without fear of judgement, we have set up an Email Support Service so you can: contact us, get some advice, as a question, read your words, and maybe begin a discussion. If you don't want us to reply then just say. Remember, you are in control of this contact and we will respond in whatever way you want us to.
Email us at: support@survivorsmanchester.org.uk
We make a solid commitment to answer all emails within 24 hours.
Virtual 1:1 Chat:
Meeting and speaking with other survivors can be one of the most empowering moments in the healing journey, but it can also be extremely scary. Some people prefer to talk online first before speaking on the telephone or meeting face to face, that way they can ease themselves into a situation they may view as unsafe.
The way the Virtual 1:1 Chat works is that initial contact is made through email to arrange a time that is convenient for both of us, we would then provide you with our details so you can add us to your contacts, ready for our session. Each session lasts up to an hour and you are in control of the conversation to talk in your own time, ask questions, reflect on your thoughts, etc. The session facilitator is a qualified counsellor (although please be aware that this is not online counselling service) and survivor himself.
If you want use the virtual 1:1 chat service or find out more information please contact us via email at tvsr@survivorsmanchester.org.uk.
Other Male Specific Sites
In recent years there has been a small increase in male survivor websites, or general survivor websites that contain sections specifically for male survivors. Although we cannot guarantee the safety of any other site, the following is a list of sites regularly used and professionally moderated.