ACC changes 'hurt sex abuse victims'

An article from the Marlborough Express by Penny Wardle

ACC rule changes have shut down help for sexual abuse victims in Marlborough, say Blenheim counsellors.
Sexual abuse referrals have completely dried up for Bread of Life counsellor Lorraine Moffat, who until last October was seeing about 50 victims a year.
Blenheim counsellor Lizzie Fulton has seen her sexual abuse workload drop from about two inquiries a week to nil.
Ms Fulton said that without counselling, sexual abuse victims were likely to become more unwell and less able to cope with everyday life.
"ACC might be saving money but there will be a cost to the health system and employment and society in drinking, drugs and petty crime," she said.
Women's Refuge manager Rachel Black said that since the changes, the service had been supporting more women who had been sexually abused, but could not offer counselling because staff were not qualified.
Victims were referred to approved counsellors, who were paid using alternative government funding when possible, "but eventually we might have to dip into our own funds".
"I believe Government is trying to push funding for sexual abuse on to the community," said Mrs Black.
Ms Fulton said that since October, ACC-funded counselling required a professional psychologist or psychiatrist's diagnosis of mental injury, such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, directly caused by sexual abuse. Previously, counsellors had been able to make that call.
"The purpose seems to be to shift the blame from sexual abuse to something else in the person's life, such as family circumstances, then refuse counselling."
Referral now took months, when previously, sessions started straight away. "I heard yesterday that a woman who has been waiting seven months to hear whether she will get counselling has been told that she had been allocated 10 sessions with an unnamed counsellor who would contact her. Ten sessions is not enough. It takes four, even five sessions to develop a rapport and comfortable counselling environment."
Not only women, but also children who had found the courage to speak up about sexual abuse "will have to go on dealing with the pain and the extra shame that they have talked to someone but weren't important enough to get help", she said.
Maata Waka advocate Vonda Walker described ACC's new process as "unethical and extremely harmful to survivors of sexual violence, their families and the community". Depression, self-harm, anxiety, impaired memory and even suicide could be the result.
"Victims have often told their story many times to people like police officers and hospital staff," she said. The added layer of a psychologist or psychiatrist's assessment meant going through painful memories one more time.
ACC figures released last week show that since October last year, 90 per cent of people making ACC claims for sexual abuse counselling have either been refused cover or left waiting for a decision.
Cases approved for sexual abuse counselling by ACC were down from 472 in the first two months of last year to 32 in the same period this year.
As a result, ACC Minister Nick Smith announced that ACC-subsidised counselling rules would be reviewed by a four-person panel chaired by former mental health commissioner Dr Barbara Disley.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/3664370/ACC-changes-hurt-sex-abuse-victims