Workshop Description

Working with Sexual Abuse

Trainer: Amina Begum

This two-hour training is designed for professionals and therapists working with survivors of sexual abuse, with a particular focus on the emotional, psychological, and somatic impact of this work on both clients and practitioners. The session begins by establishing a shared understanding of sexual abuse and rape, including clear definitions and the central role of consent. It then explores the importance of language, considering how the words used by professionals can either support safety, empowerment, and agency, or unintentionally reinforce shame and power imbalances.

Cultural context is examined to highlight how cultural beliefs, stigma, family dynamics, gender expectations, and community norms can significantly affect disclosure, help-seeking, and therapeutic engagement. The training also considers gendered experiences of sexual abuse, exploring similarities and differences in working with male and female survivors, including patterns of disclosure, experiences of shame, societal narratives around masculinity and femininity, barriers to support, and specific clinical considerations that may arise in therapeutic work with each.

The session goes on to explore the impacts of sexual abuse and trauma on the nervous system, including trauma responses and survival adaptations. Participants will take part in a reflective group exercise that adopts a phenomenological perspective, encouraging professionals to explore their own emotional and bodily responses to sexual abuse work, identify personal triggers, and consider strategies for self-awareness and regulation. The session concludes by focusing on trauma-informed practice, including working within an individual’s window of tolerance, key do’s and don’ts when supporting survivors, and the application of theoretical and somatic approaches such as stabilisation, titration, and pendulation to promote safety, containment, and therapeutic effectiveness.

Speaker bio:

I am an Accredited Psychotherapist, Certified Somatic Practitioner, Clinical Supervisor, and hold a MSc in Psychology. I have over a decade of experience working with survivors of sexual abuse and those impacted by trauma, both in private practice and organisational settings. I have specialist training in this area and work with both male and female survivors. I also provide clinical supervision to therapists supporting survivors and those affected by sexual abuse and trauma. I have delivered sexual abuse training to organisations across the UK working with families and in the USA, including delivering training to trainee counsellors, and qualified therapists.

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