Support for sexual abuse survivors was increased this week, but Palmerston North counsellor Paulette Berryman is worried people might have given up hope of getting help, and aren't aware it has just become easier to ask. The New Zealand Christian Counsellors' Association representative on the sensitive claims advisory group has welcomed this week's ACC support package for sexual abuse survivors.© 2010 Fairfax New Zealand Ltd
Mrs Berryman said since ACC tightened up the process for accessing counselling last October, most people had stopped asking for help, and some who had persevered felt "battered" by the system. She used to receive four or five inquiries a week about sexual abuse counselling, but since October, has had only one.
Some sexual abuse counsellors had been working for free and others had given up counselling during the 10 months when survivors of sexual abuse had to be diagnosed as having suffered a mental injury before they could get treatment.
Under the interim system introduced this week, new claimants and people waiting for a decision on whether they qualify for treatment, can now get 16 hours "support". The support isn't available to people already in treatment or who have been turned down.
Mrs Berryman said she expected there would be a surge of demand for help under the new rules, but it hadn't happened. "Sexual abuse hasn't gone away. My concern is that people who have been discouraged from applying don't know that there is support available now."
She said it had taken enormous energy to persuade ACC to provide more help for sexual abuse survivors. "We have fought robustly, because we understand how difficult it is for people with sensitive claims to stand up and tell the world they were sexually abused and need help."
As well as advocating for clients, she was part of the advisory group that would be making further recommendations about details of the future support package, particularly how to help children, previous claimants who relapsed, and people who had been declined treatment.
The independent panel appointed to make final recommendations on the future process for handling sensitive claims is due to complete its work next month.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/4044143/Help-still-available-for-abuse-survivors
Living in the Manawatu myself, I think many of us survivors have been brutualised by ACC over the last year and are therefore not happy to access even those 16 hours not trusting that ACC will provide cover after that if required. Seems easier at least for the time being to hide away at home from the world and hope this horrible nightmare one day comes to an end.
ReplyDelete