Over the last 5 months, our trustees have been consulting with trauma survivors across the world to establish the first Scottish organisation dedicated to supporting all trauma survivors through the delivery of therapy, training and research.
Several studies have shown that the amount of people exposed to a traumatic event is significantly high, with some studies reporting that two in three children in Scotland alone experience domestic violence, physical abuse, or other traumatic event before the age of eight. Before setting up our service we carried out a survey and of the 107 trauma survivors that completed it, 75% reported that they had experienced two or more types of trauma and 52% had experienced three or more types of trauma in their lifetime. This highlights the vulnerability to continue experiencing further trauma once someone has encountered an initial traumatic experience.
Trauma can have a devastating affect which can have an impact on every aspects of a persons life. Many of the people we consulted with fed back to us that sadly they were not able to receive the support they required because of lengthy wait lists. Some also made the comment that they felt that their trauma was misunderstood by others because how it manifested did not fit with the typical definition of trauma. Trauma Healing UK was set up to fill this gap and our vision is for all trauma survivors in Scotland to have the resilience and skills needed to live a fulfilling and meaningful life despite their trauma.
'Two in three children in Scotland alone experience domestic violence, physical abuse, or another traumatic event before the age of eight'
We feel incredibly passionate about our work and about supporting trauma survivors to heal through the delivery of therapeutic services, training and research. Something that is especially important to us however is that trauma survivors are given a voice on the direction of the charity and one of our priorities is to ensure that we provide opportunities for this to happen.
We would just like to give thanks to all the trauma survivors who have kindly shared their story and experiences with us this far, of which we have been deeply humbled to hear.
'Our vision is for all trauma survivors in Scotland to have the resilience and skills needed to live a fulfilling and meaningful life despite their trauma.'
While we are not a charity yet, we are awaiting our application being approved by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and hope to hear back soon!
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