What should I expect when I first contact the centre?

It takes courage for anyone to pick up the phone or make contact with us - our centre is open to any man or woman who has survived any form of sexual violence. That could be childhood abuse, sexual harassment, assault, rape to name a few. When you phone the centre, usually a staff member such as Catherine, Karen or Verena will answer the phone to you. Every situation is individual so don't feel you should know exactly what to ask for.

Some people who contact us wish simply to talk on the phone with a staff member about their experience.  Others who contact us wish to know more about services such as Court and Garda Accompaniment services. For some, they may have been recently raped/assaulted and want some advice on getting a forensic examination. 

For others, they may like to attend our centre for counselling - if you wish to attend for counselling, then we will take your contact details and arrange an assessment to be carried out

Click here for more details on services open to you - click here 

How can I support a loved one? 

Our helpline is open to supporters who wish to get information on helping a loved one, please call us on 1800 311511. We have a dedicated section on our website to this  - click here

I wasn't actually raped, can I still seek support from your centre?

Yes, our centre is open to any man or woman who has survived any form of abuse whether it happened in their childhood some years ago or more recently. Sometimes, when people contact us, they tend to minimise the abuse saying “What happened me wasn’t as serious as someone else”. We would reassure anyone, who needs our support that our centre is open to them.

Is the service open to men?

Yes, men and women can avail of services in our centre

I was recently raped/assaulted, what should I do?

We have a dedicated page to this on our website - click here

Do I need to report the rape/abuse before contacting your centre?

No, you don't. If at some point you make a decision to report a rape or any abuse, we can guide you through this process including providing someone to accompany you when making this statement to the Gardai. Please also see our link here to Garda and Court Accompaniment services we provide- click here

Is everything I tell you confidential?

Rape Crisis Midwest regards client confidentiality as a priority in all of its work with the people who access our services for their many different needs i.e. information, support, accompaniment or counselling.

However, issues regarding child protection or the safety of individual clients may arise where there is a legal requirement to furnish information to a child protection agency or the justice system. Rape Crisis Midwest will discuss any concerns people may have on an individual basis when we are contacted.

Is the service a walk in service?

No, we don’t have resources to provide that type of service at the moment but please contact us on our freephone 1800 311 511, email us on [email protected] or send us a DM on any of our social media outlets

I am U18 – is the service open to me??

We see adolescents between the ages of 14 to 16 years who come through the SATU service. The adolescents will be provided with information only and must be in the presence of a guardian. We see young people between the ages of 16 to 18 years for counselling. However, we would require parental or guardian’s consent to allow the young person to commence counselling. The guardian will be asked to attend the initial appointment to sign the relevant consent forms. After which the young person would attend the counselling sessions on his or her own. Confidentiality issues will be discussed at the initial appointment.

We also see adults from the age of 18 years upwards.

If I avail of the counselling service, how long will it last?

The duration of counselling is different for everyone and we have no time limit for how many sessions you can have. The counselling process is monitored with your counselling on a regular basis to see if it is beneficial to you. A session is usually an hour in length and once a week or fortnight depending on your needs.