Creative art in counselling has turned lives around at Southampton Rape Crisis

At the end of paintbrushes dipped in dark colours are teenagers who have suffered at the hands of sexual predators.

Anger can be seen in one of the disturbing self-portraits and distress in others.

In the first pictures these youngsters have painted bedraggled, cowering images of themselves in stormy and cloudy weather, reflecting their feelings of depression, loneliness and isolation.

It’s heartbreaking to learn who the artists are. They include a 13-year-old boy and girls aged 16, 17 and 18 who have endured terrifying sexual experiences at the hands of peers or family members.

But one year later their paintings changed.

The dark paints were swapped for brighter colours and bolder more confident representations of themselves filled the page.

Hope had seemingly returned – and a new positivity.

The transformation documents the life-changing work unfolding every day at the charity Southampton Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Counselling Service where more than 100 people are seen each week.

At first glance the four-storey building, set in a secret and safe Southampton location, is like any other along the street.

But the work inside changes, and saves, lives.

The service users range from children as young as five to people in their 70s and they all share one thing in common: they have survived rape or sexual abuse.

The artwork pictured is created in the Young People’s Creative Arts Group which is run by young people’s counsellor Gillian Williams.

It takes pride of place on a wall downstairs in the centre- the colourful and laid-back area designated as a safe haven for youngsters aged 12 to 18.

Pointing at the work Gillian, said: “We are proud of the young people who came so far. In the second images it is clear that the young people recognise how far they have come – they have painted themselves in” better weather.” They have used brighter colours- there is less black, grey and dullness. They have depicted themselves looking more cared for, smiling and content.

“One of the girls has exchanged her lightning bolts with softer swirls that reflected, she told us, a better energy.”

She added: “The young man’s second painting depicts himself as calmer and not unnaturally buffered from life by the prescription medication he had been on at the beginning, because he felt better able to manage his emotions.”

The four people who drew the emotive images are among 30 12-to-18-yearolds who are each week supported by the young people’s counselling service.

Often the teens’ lives are so deeply affected by rape or sexual abuse they try to take their own lives, harm themselves or experience difficulties sleeping, eating or with their daily routine.

Gillian, said: “The young people who come to Southampton Rape Crisis often feel that other people can tell by looking at them about the experience they have had.

They often feel shame and guilt this has happened even though there was nothing they could do to prevent it.

“Personally I find creative arts therapy can keep a client interested, motivated and energised. It can also lead to a greater depth of self awareness.

Many of our clients find it hard to talk about their experiences, especially when they first come to counselling. They find using creative arts can be enjoyable as well as confidence building. They also find it hard to talk about their feelings and creative art therapy offers a natural, non-verbal way of allowing them to express their distress and difficulties.

“Drawing or painting can help a young person distance themselves from what is troubling them so they are more able to observe it as separate from themselves. It improves clarity, self awareness, improved selfesteem and confidence.”

One of the many success stories of the centre’s army of counsellors and volunteers was a teenage girl who was predicted straight As at GCSE level but was raped and lost the confidence to go to school for more than a year.

But after support at the centre she turned her life around.

Gillian, said: “She went back to school and did her GCSEs. She said to us if I can do that I can do anything. She looked back and told us how it was a dreadful thing to happen but it just showed how strong she was. She was not going to let being raped define her for the rest of her life.

“For us if we can bring just one person back from the brink of despair, which is what we do often, it means so much.”

ABOUT RAPE CRISIS

The charity is making fresh efforts to promote the crisis centre to ensure people know help is available.

It comes as sexual assault is dominating the headlines following Jimmy Savile’s exposure as a serial abuser.

The Southampton service alone has reported a “significant increase” in the number of calls from people who have had similar experiences in the wake of the scandal.

The service itself was set up in 1985 in a single room above a shop in Shirley to provide support to rape victims.

Now 27 years later there are a range of specialist services for people who are at risk or who have been affected by an unwanted sexual experience.

This can include anything from rape, childhood sexual abuse and sexual assault to harassment or coercion.

There is also the adult counselling service which provides support to both women and men.

The Independent Sexual Violence Advisory Service (ISVAS) helps people who are thinking about or already engaged in reporting their experience to the police in order to help them negotiate the criminal justice system.

The charity’s helpline is open three days a week to help people across the country who have been affected by sexual violence. In the year 2011 to 2012 the charity received 1,053 calls to the helpline and 715 calls outside of helpline times.

Family therapy sessions help relatives who are struggling with the impact of sexual abuse.

The centre also works with victims who have been trafficked in the sex industry- often asylum seekers or refugees who may not know the UK laws.

Then there is the award-winning preventative education project called the STAR project which has been running for 12 years. They have worked with 70,000 young people in secondary schools, youth groups and even some primary schools across the city focusing on safety tips and healthy relationships.

Michelle Barry, who runs that project, added: “Southampton Rape Crisis is one of the biggest in the country in terms of the range of services we offer but many people don’t realise what goes on here.

“The impact of abuse can be so devastating that if people don't seek help and talk about it, it can have a detrimental effect on so many aspects of that person’s life.

“It is so important to come and access help and support because you can aid recovery and get on with your life.”

And for the charity, which costs nearly £550,000 a year to run each year, funding is vital.

Service manager Jo Pearce, said: “It is crucial that in the current climate of financial cuts we maintain the funding necessary to continue offering this crucial support in order that the impact of sexual violence in terms of physical harm and emotional distress is addressed at a sufficiently early stage, reducing the likelihood of longer term dependency on statutory health and social care services.”

She added: “One example of the feedback we commonly receive is from somebody having participated in our family therapy sessions: ‘Our gratitude will be a life-long appreciation of the unconditional support we’ve received from the team at the SRC, without whose help we would have remained unable to cope’.”