Why SAND?

Even though we are not an emergency service, we offer personalised phone support during our working hours. We all work part-time hours, yet strive to meet the needs of our clients and go over and above to ensure this happens. We have an interactive website; established CEO: highly qualified, registered, and experienced counsellors; a team of volunteers; dedicated Directors; strong local Partnerships; &, fixed council premises central to Barnstaple – with free parking. 

We are here to help you with:

• Sexual abuse, coercion and rape
• Support services for men (specifically we opened in 2016 to support this group)
• Domestic abuse (with SV referral)

We have a secure tenancy in the discreet and easily accessible council owned premises based in Rock Park, Barnstaple which comprise of two perfectly situated rooms for our client base of North Devon.

We now have a mix of 7 highly qualified therapists working within SAND who all work in very different ways and are trained to at least level 4 with trauma training being at the heart of their practice. We offer Holding Sessions whilst on the waiting list and those who need that immediate support. After the core service of 15 low-cost sessions of specialist counselling, EMDR (link to page) will be offered if deemed suitable once counselling has been completed.

All our services are low cost and we request potential clients to not be deterred in making the call or referring due to financial concerns. Our counsellors can also offer art therapy, relational work, and walk and talk therapy. Making the most of our unique premises in Rock Park.  It is essential that the victim feels comfortable with each mode of therapy so they engage well and experience the best outcome.

How we evaluate that we are doing well

We use a management system called Pragmatic Tracker. This highly confidential two-factor authentication system monitors each and every session with the counsellor. Prior to every session you (the client) will receive an email alert and receive an electronic CORE 10 and also a post-session feedback form to ensure progress is measured.

We have updated our 2023 evaluation report and our commitment continues to be how we monitor the provision of our service and listen to the needs of our rural community.

 It is relevant to say at this point that SAND was created with the full intention of allowing male survivors to access support services alongside already established, albeit minimal, support structures for women. That was the intention then and continues now. The North Devon area has shown to have a continued need for men to access support for a sexual trauma and also to know that support is there if they are a non-offending family member or supporter. Percentage-wise, men have always been about 30-40% of all our referrals to SAND. We will continue to raise awareness and to encourage all men who need help and support.

LGBTIQA+ & Minority groups based on religion or race.

Additionally, SAND offers support for all minority or marginalised groups from every walk of life and pride ourselves in not discriminating nor excluding any group of people.

We strive to have a working practice that allows people to feel that they are not marginalised in accessing support.

From Survivor to Thriver is our mantra, and this only comes due to our secure team of professionals dedicated to the work of SAND.

We have robust procedures in place regarding therapist supervision due to the high level of victims that we work with who are often in crisis, suicidal and sometimes have other serious mental health problems. Our team of counsellors are level 4 and above counsellors and receive their own Supervision, SAND organised Clinical Supervision and their own peer support every 6 weeks.

Team Meetings are also every 6 weeks. Our work involves extra vigilance and additional time spent on risk assessing and safeguarding. This often is not reflected in the figures and data provided.

We also work closely with other local agencies who specialise in helping the whole family to recover as a result of the sexual trauma incurred.

We work in a holistic way and help victims set goals for themselves if they wish to do so in addition to exploring their trauma symptoms and using psychoeducation and body work to help minimise their distressing physical symptoms.

Our therapeutic team is complimented by a dedicated and devoted team of volunteers and a strong Directorship. Together we oversee the smooth running of SAND.  Our website will be maintained by a skilled web designer based in Delhi, India. He and his family were hit hard by the previous lockdown and is now able to put his great skills at use assisting us in all aspects of information technology including our website.

This rebranding and launch in 2023 has shown that once again, SAND has had a very productive year encompassing all that SAND stands for in our local community. We are so grateful for the ongoing support from our Partnership work with Firstlight, Clear Support, Encompass and MoMENtum especially. Not to mention the ongoing support from the Victim Services and the OPCC.  As is often the case with small organisations, we continually struggle to complete each financial year and any contributions made will ensure our success and the support of the people in our community. We will always try and provide all the information needed to show the essential part that we play in Northern Devon and working with victims of Sexual Violence.

Our Partners

Find out more about our partners, who all offer specialist support to individuals, charities, and not-for-profit groups in their local areas.