Partner blog – Beira’s Place
During the national annual 16 Days of Activism campaign, we are raising awareness of partner organisations who offer a wide range of support to people across Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Claire Gardiner, Support Service Co-ordinator talks to us about Beira’s Place and the services it offers.
What is Beira’s Place?
Beira’s Place opened in 12 December 2022 and offers a single sex, women only support service to women across Edinburgh and the Lothians who had experienced any kind of sexual violence at any time in their lives.
What services does Beira’s Place offer?
We offer 12 support sessions either face-to-face, online or telephone support to enable women to move through their journey of recovery from sexual violence. Sessions are based on Judith Herman’s three-stage model of trauma recovery, and we work directly with a woman to focus on the areas which are important to her. This model allows us to create the support package to meet the needs of the individual women rather than expecting a woman to fit a particular modality that may not be right for her. The service is rigorously monitored and evaluated so that the voice of survivors runs through our service.
We have created an environment that is a place of comfort, a place of safety, a place where women are seen and heard, believed and supported. Our building is a women only environment and a safe space for survivors and we have purposefully created an environment that can provide a sense of peace and tranquillity to enable the sessions to be delivered in a calm and thoughtful way. Our counselling support staff deliver sessions in a way that is paced and takes account of the kind of work we do and the impact it can have on workers, so no member of the team is stretched or rushed, giving their whole to each woman. All work is women centred in a place which is run by women, for women, and is women led.
The future
As a new and developing service we continue to grow our reach and connect with key partners and are committed to continual improvements and positive developments to the organisation. As women’s needs change we are fully committed to listening to the women who use our service and adapting our service to meet those needs.
