Not Alone: Gay Men’s Trauma Information Group
To enquire, please call Eastern CASA on 9870 7330 and request to speak with intake (Available Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm)
What is the group?
Not Alone is a trauma information group for adult gay men who have experienced sexual abuse in childhood.
It is an 8-week online pilot program for 8 - 15 attendees using a secure online platform.
The group offers participants an opportunity to understand how trauma impacts them today and provides trauma information in the context of establishing safety.
It is best suited to people who haven’t received extensive support or information on sexual violence impacts and are seeking a supportive space with other gay men who may have had similar experiences.
This group will be delivered by senior counsellor advocates from three specialist sexual assault services (South East CASA, Sexual Assault & Family Violence Centre & Eastern CASA), and evaluated by SASVic.
A counsellor advocate is someone who has special training in listening and helping people after experiencing sexual assault or abuse. They can also help someone to understand their rights, explore their options, make decisions and to report to police (if that’s what they want to do). They support people no matter how long ago the sexual violence happened.
When will the group be held?
The group will run weekly from 20 February to 10 April 2025.
When: Thursday afternoons, 3pm - 5pm
Where: Online
The group will be run online to ensure that people who live in regional and rural areas can easily attend.
Why are we running the group now?
This pilot program was created in response to the inspiring advocacy of two gay men who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse, who called for more support options for gay men who have experienced sexual violence. They have both assisted in designing the program for gay men who have experienced sexual abuse in childhood and will contribute to the program’s delivery and evaluation.
Why is the evaluation important?
We hope that if this group is helpful, we can use the feedback from the evaluation to refine it further and apply for funding to run it again in the future for more people.
What about other groups?
The specialist sexual assault sector has always worked with all survivors, including the LGBTIQA+ communities and has run many groups over the years. In the past, groups have been for survivors that have already received therapeutic support from a specialist service. This group is specifically for people who have not received extensive support or information on sexual violence.
How to enquire
To enquire, please call Eastern CASA on 9870 7330 and request to speak with intake. Eastern CASA is open Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm.
FAQs
Do I need to identify as a gay man to attend this group?
Yes, for this pilot you will need to self-identify as a gay man. This is because the group has been designed specifically for gay men (35+) who may have similar experiences due to social and historical context (e.g., the AIDS epidemic, homosexuality criminalised). You can be at any stage of your sexual identity journey.
Do I need to share what happened to me as a child?
No. In this style of group, atendees do not share experiences of abuse or violence in detail. Some may choose to share the impacts they experienced but only if they want to. This is so the content feels manageable for everyone attending. How this might sound is, “My older cousin abused me as a small child, and now, years later, I understand why I’m so protective of my own children, I can’t leave them unsupervised”. This is different to talking about detailed incidents. Facilitators ensure a trauma-informed approach to maintain a space that is safe for all participants.
Do I need to be at home to attend the group?
No, but yo.u will need to be in quiet and private space to participate in the group. It’s important that any children in your care are being supervised by another person.
Do I need to attend all sessions?
Yes, there is an expectation that all attendees will try to attend each session. Although each session is focused on a different topic, the sessions build on the experiences and skills learnt in the previous week. Attending all sessions, if possible, also can support ongoing connection and participation. This group is a closed group, which means there are no new attendees after the first week.
Are there resources for ongoing support?
Yes, facilitators can provide referrals to supports as they are required, including counselling, crisis services, community organisations including LGBTIQA+ community agencies.
Is there a cost to join the group?
No there is no cost to join the group.
About groups
Therapeutic groups are designed to help you connect with others who have had similar experiences. Groups can be a useful way to learn about yourself, cultivate a sense of belonging, make sense of some experiences, gain confidence and skills, and receive information and support from others.
Groups can use creative and expressive approaches such as music and art to help explore topics, regulate, or soothe. Some groups take an educational approach where information is provided to build knowledge and develop new skills or strategies. This type of group is sometimes called a skill development or psychoeducational group. The gay men’s trauma information group is this type of group.
What is sexual violence?
Sexual violence is being forced, pressured or tricked into doing sexual things when you don’t want to. It is often a crime and can take many forms, including child sexual abuse, image-based sexual abuse, sexual harassment and sexual assault. It can affect people of all genders throughout their lives and can be perpetrated by strangers or people who are known to the survivor.
How to get help
If this group isn’t what you’re looking for but you’d like to speak to someone, you can contact a specialist sexual assault service.
It can be difficult to speak about sexual violence. Specialist sexual assault services support adults and children who have experienced sexual violence, whether recently or a long time ago.
If you have experienced a recent sexual assault or would like after-hours support (5pm-9am), please call 1800 806 292.
To find and contact your local specialist sexual assault service, you can visit our specialist sexual assault service map.