Victoria Birch

A huge thank you to everyone taking on the Oysho Royal Parks Half Marathon on Sunday, 11 October to raise vital funds for Woman’s Trust. Their support will help us continue providing specialist mental health support to women affected by domestic abuse.

If you’re able to donate, no matter how big or small, your support will help Woman’s Trust continue providing life-changing support to women affected by domestic abuse.

Find out more about our incredible fundraisers, below.

Ria is running for Woman’s Trust!

Ria Gandhi is taking on her first ever half marathon to raise money for Woman’s Trust.

Having experienced domestic abuse herself, this cause is incredibly close to her heart. After leaving an abusive relationship, she knows first-hand how difficult it can be to rebuild confidence and move forward.

Support Ria’s fundraising Ria Gandhi is fundraising for Woman’s Trust:

And if you can’t donate, sharing her fundraising page would mean just as much.

Lily is running for Woman’s Trust!

Fundraiser Lily Keisler says: “Somehow I’ve signed myself up for another half marathon…”

Lily is running the Oysho Royal Parks Half Marathon for Woman’s Trust as she says its a cause that’s deeply personal to her.

If you’re able to donate, no matter the amount, you’ll be helping more women access this vital support and rebuild their lives.

Support Lily’s fundraising: Lily Keisler is fundraising for Woman’s Trust

Please sponsor Lily and cheer her on – and help her get round those 13.1 miles!

Suzie is running for Woman’s Trust!

As a survivor of domestic abuse and an Ambassador for Woman’s Trust, Suzie Kennedy is taking on the Oysho Royal Parks Half Marathon to support Woman’s Trust’s work.

Suzie says she isn’t a natural runner, and training has been particularly challenging after surviving cancer twice and living with injuries resulting from abuse. She says every mile is a reminder of why this matters – and of the difference specialist support can make.

Support Suzie’s fundraising: suzie kennedy is fundraising for Woman’s Trust

Every donation, no matter the size, will help more women access the support they need to heal, recover and build lives free from the lasting impact of abuse.

Lalana and Pim are running for Woman’s Trust!

Together, Lalana and Pim Eden are aiming to raise £1,000 to support Woman’s Trust by taking on the half marathon.

They say they are fundraising because they believe more needs to be done to support women affected by domestic abuse – including the often less visible forms of abuse such as coercive control, emotional, sexual and financial abuse, which can have a lasting impact on women’s mental health and wellbeing.

Support Lalana and Pim’s fundraising: Lalana and Pim Eden is fundraising for Woman’s Trust

Support Pim and Lalana and help more women access the specialist support they need.

Harry is running for Woman’s Trust!

On behalf of Gowling WLG, Harry will be taking on the Oysho Royal Parks Half Marathon to raise funds for Woman’s Trust.

Every mile Harry runs will help raise vital funds so more women can access this support when they need it.

Support Harry’s fundraising: Harry Standing is fundraising for Woman’s Trust

Thank you to Harry and to everyone at Gowling WLG for getting behind the challenge!

More than 200 representatives from charities, local government and organisations supporting people affected by domestic abuse and suicidality joined Advance’s World Suicide Prevention Day webinar to explore the links between gender, domestic abuse and suicide.

Woman’s Trust Counselling Manager Nirma Bheeroo joined the panel alongside Sharon Holland, Advance Lived Experience Ambassador and campaigner, and Dr Hannana Siddiqui, Director of Policy, Campaigns & Research at Southall Black Sisters. The discussion was chaired by Amrita Brar, Advance’s Head of Domestic Abuse Services.

Nirma spoke about the impact domestic abuse can have on women’s mental health and the importance of specialist, trauma-informed support for survivors.

The discussion reflects the concerns highlighted in Woman’s Trust’s Living Without Hope report, which examines the relationship between domestic abuse and suicide and the gaps in support available to women experiencing suicidal thoughts and attempts following abuse.

Through the report and its wider Living Without Hope campaign, Woman’s Trust is calling for greater recognition of the role domestic abuse can play in suicidal crisis, better learning from cases where women survive suicide attempts, and sustained investment in specialist mental health support for survivors.

Sharon Holland shared her experience of losing her daughter Chloe to suicide while she was in an abusive relationship, and spoke about the need for professionals to better understand coercive control and its psychological impact.

She said professionals need to be trauma-informed and able to recognise that survivors may respond to prolonged abuse in different ways, including presenting as distressed, volatile or erratic.

The discussion also explored how racism, poverty, insecure immigration status and barriers to specialist support can increase women’s experiences of isolation and entrapment.

For Woman’s Trust, the webinar reinforced the need for domestic abuse and mental health services to work together to identify risk earlier and ensure survivors can access specialist support.

Watch the full webinar on YouTube

See our Living Without Hope campaign
Read our full Mental Health Strategy consultation response

This World Suicide Prevention Day, we’re changing the narrative: suicide prevention must include understanding domestic abuse and ensuring women can access the specialist mental health support they need.

Domestic abuse can have a profound and lasting impact on women’s mental health. One in two women seek mental health support because of domestic abuse, while nine out of 10 women identify counselling and mental health support as a priority need.

The link with suicide is stark. Domestic abuse-related suicides overtook homicides for another year, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (2026). Yet many domestic abuse-related suicides are not formally recognised as such, meaning the context of coercive control, threats and abuse can be lost.

Woman’s Trust is calling for wider case reviews that examine not only women who die by suicide, but also those who attempt suicide and survive. Understanding the role domestic abuse plays in suicidal crisis could help agencies intervene earlier and more effectively.

“It’s like living in your own prison in your head”
Angela believes she would not be here today without specialist help from Woman’s Trust.
She describes the lasting impact of abuse and chronic stress.
“Even if I was in the sun in another country, the thoughts would still be there,” she says. “It’s like living in your own prison in your head.”

For Angela, specialist therapy was not a luxury but a vital part of survival.
“You can’t listen to the dead. Sadly, they have been silenced by their abusers,” she says. “Listen to those going through it and learn from it.”

Specialist support can make a difference
Our services show the difference that specialist mental health support can make. Women receiving counselling reported a 74% reduction in suicidal thoughts and ideation and a 93% reduction in anxiety and stress. Among women attending therapeutic support groups, 91% felt less isolated and 96% reported reduced anxiety and stress.

But demand continues to outstrip available support. Half of the women who approach Woman’s Trust for specialist mental health support after domestic abuse are turned away due to chronic underfunding.
Through our Living Without Hope campaign, we are calling for £27.5 million per year to provide specialist mental health support for survivors.

Suicide prevention must include understanding domestic abuse – and ensuring women can access the support they need before they reach crisis point.

Help us give survivors hope. Please donate today.

See our campaign
Read our full Mental Health Strategy consultation response

A message to survivors from Nirma Bheeroo, Counselling Manager at Woman’s Trust

If recent news about early prison releases has left you feeling frightened or unsafe, we want you to know that your fear is valid, and you are not alone.

Nobody should have to live in fear of the person who harmed them. We know changes like this can feel like the ground shifting, especially if you’ve only just started to feel safe. We are not going anywhere.

There are protections that can apply, including licence conditions, exclusion zones and monitoring. If you’re registered with the Victim Contact Scheme, you also have the right to be involved in decisions about your safety. If you’re not sure what applies to your situation, talk to us – we can help you find out.

Periods around release can be particularly difficult for survivors, which is why safety planning matters. That’s what we’re here for.

If you’re worried about your safety:

In danger now: call 999. If you can’t speak, press 55 when prompted – this alerts the police to a genuine emergency.
National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247, free and available 24/7.
In a mental health crisis: call NHS 111 and select option 2, free and available 24/7.
Woman’s Trust: If you’re already receiving support from us, please speak to your counsellor. If you’re not currently receiving support, contact our team to find out how we can help: 020 7034 0303, email
office@womanstrust.org.uk

We’ll help you think it through, explore your safety options and make sure you’re not facing this alone.

With you, always – Woman’s Trust

See our campaign
Read our full Mental Health Strategy consultation response

We welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement on investment in new mental health services. Expanding access to support is an important step towards ensuring more people can get the help they need before reaching crisis.

This commitment to strengthening mental health services aligns with our #GiveSurvivorsHope campaign, which calls for women recovering from domestic abuse to have access to timely, specialist mental health support in women’s centres in the community.

For 30 years, Woman’s Trust has seen the life-changing impact that specialist, trauma-informed support can have for those affected by domestic abuse. As community mental health services continue to develop, it is important that women and girls can access therapeutic support that is tailored to their experiences, with a deep understanding of the dynamics of domestic abuse and its lasting impact.

We look forward to working together with the Government and the Department of Health and Social Care as the new Mental Health Strategy is developed, sharing our expertise to help ensure women and girls can access the specialist mental health support they need to recover and rebuild their lives.

See our campaign
Read our full Mental Health Strategy consultation response

What was it about Woman’s Trust that made you want to lead the organisation? 
What really drew me to Woman’s Trust was the organisation’s very clear understanding that domestic abuse does not end when the immediate crisis ends. Too often, services quite understandably have to focus on safety, housing, legal processes or emergency response. All of that is essential, but it is not the whole story.
Woman’s Trust understands the long-term mental health impact of domestic abuse, and that recovery is not a quick intervention or a neat linear process. It is about giving women the space, time and specialist support to rebuild confidence, autonomy and a sense of future.
I was also struck by the organisation’s legacy. Woman’s Trust has been doing this work for 30 years, with real expertise, an exceptional team, and trustees who are deeply committed to the mission. The impact is already significant, but I could also see the potential to do more: to reach more women, strengthen the organisation, and influence how systems understand recovery after abuse. That combination of depth, competence and possibility was very compelling.

Throughout your career, you’ve worked across mental health, women’s support and refugee communities – what experiences have shaped the leader you are today? 
I have worked with people and communities who have often been failed by systems, or who have had to be extraordinarily resilient because systems were not built around their realities. That changes how you lead.
It has made me very practical. I believe in kindness, but not vague kindness. I believe in structures, clarity, good decisions, good governance, and teams that know what they are doing and why. People doing emotionally demanding work deserve leadership that is steady, honest and supportive – not chaotic, performative or heroic.
I have also learned that good leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about creating the conditions in which people can do their best work, challenge each other well, learn, and stay connected to purpose. I care a lot about modelling that, because the quality of leadership inside an organisation ultimately affects the quality of support people receive outside it.

What do you hope women accessing Woman’s Trust will feel when they first reach out for support? 
I hope they feel that we understand. Not that we know exactly what their experience has been, because every woman’s story is different, but that we understand the dynamics of abuse, the impact it can have on mental health, and how hard it can be to ask for help.
I would want women to feel safe, respected and not judged. I would also want them to feel that they are not entering a service that is going to tell them who to be or what recovery should look like. Our approach is person-centred: we are here, we get it, and we can walk alongside women – but the recovery process belongs to them.

In one sentence, what would you say to Woman’s Trust’s clients? 
We understand why this may feel hard, we are here with specialist support, and your recovery will always be led by you.

Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of Woman’s Trust? 
What excites me is the opportunity to build on a very strong foundation. Woman’s Trust already changes women’s lives through specialist counselling, therapeutic groups and workshops, and the outcomes speak very clearly to the importance of this work.
The next chapter is about strengthening what already works, reaching more women, making the organisation as effective and sustainable as possible, and using our evidence and expertise to influence wider systems. I think Woman’s Trust has a very important role to play in shifting the conversation from “how do we respond to crisis?” to “how do we support long-term recovery, safety and thriving?”
That is the work that excites me.

What do you think society still misunderstands about the impact of domestic abuse on women’s lives? 
I think society still underestimates how deeply domestic abuse affects a woman’s sense of self, safety, trust and possibility.
There is still a tendency to think about domestic abuse as a series of incidents, or to focus on the point at which someone leaves. But the psychological impact can last much longer. Coercive control, fear, isolation and emotional abuse can affect mental health, relationships, parenting, work, housing, finances – everything.
I also think we sometimes misunderstand what the word “survivor” really means. Women are not survivors because of what happened to them. They are survivors because they adapted, endured and kept going in circumstances that many people would struggle even to imagine. That takes intelligence, courage and extraordinary strength – but survival should not be the end of the story.
What Woman’s Trust understands very well is that recovery is not simply about being “out” of the abusive situation. For many women, that is when the emotional processing really begins. Specialist, trauma-informed mental health support is not an optional extra; it is central to rebuilding a life.

What’s the biggest opportunity you see right now to improve how women affected by domestic abuse are supported? 
The biggest opportunity is to stop treating domestic abuse, mental health, housing, justice, children’s services and community support as separate worlds.
Women do not experience their lives in service categories. They may be dealing with trauma, financial insecurity, housing pressure, parenting, court processes, immigration issues, work, and isolation all at the same time. We need systems that understand that complexity and work around women, rather than expecting women to navigate fragmented systems while already under immense strain.
There is also a real opportunity to invest earlier and more consistently in specialist therapeutic support. There is no acceptable number of women who are brave enough to ask for help but cannot access support because capacity is not there.

We often hear about domestic abuse in moments of crisis. What conversations do you think we’re still not having enough? 
We are still not talking enough about what happens after crisis.
We talk about leaving, reporting, emergency accommodation and immediate risk – and of course those conversations matter. But we talk much less about recovery, rebuilding confidence, parenting after trauma, returning to work, loneliness, shame, and the long period where a woman may be technically “safe” but still carrying the impact of abuse every day.
We also do not talk enough about thriving, actually. Recovery is not only about surviving. It is about women being able to imagine a life that is bigger than what happened to them. That is where long-term therapeutic work can be so powerful.

In your view, what needs to change – culturally or systemically – so women can access support earlier? 
Culturally, we need to get much better at recognising abuse before it reaches the point of visible crisis. That means understanding coercive control, emotional abuse, isolation, financial control and the slow erosion of confidence.
Systemically, we need earlier referral routes, better training for professionals, and more joined-up services. Health professionals, housing teams, schools, employers, courts and community organisations all have a role to play. But they need the knowledge and confidence to respond well.
We also need to value specialist women’s organisations properly. The voluntary sector is increasingly being asked to hold communities together, respond to trauma, build trust, and fill gaps left elsewhere. I believe we can do that work incredibly well, but it has to be recognised, funded and treated as essential infrastructure, not as a nice add-on.

Has there been anything you’ve seen in the news recently about women’s safety or inequality that has made you feel angry – and why? 
I feel angry when women’s safety is treated as a recurring headline rather than a structural issue.
Across the country, we are seeing political, economic and social pressures that are increasing inequality and making life harder for many women and families. At the same time, voluntary and community organisations are being asked to respond to more need, more complexity and more trauma.
What makes me angry is not only the harm itself, but the predictability of it. Women have told us what they need: proper mental health provision, safe spaces, specialist support, economic security, housing, legal protection, and communities that believe them early enough. Yet too often the response comes late, is fragmented, or depends on where someone lives.
Anger can be useful, though, if it is disciplined. I am interested in turning that anger into better services, better partnerships and stronger systems.

And finally, outside of work, what keeps you grounded or brings you joy? 
Strength training keeps me very grounded – it is a deeply humbling practice where there is absolutely nowhere to hide. You can either do the pull-up or you cannot.
I also love being in the water. Freediving is ironically one of the things that makes me feel most grounded, probably because it requires calm, focus and trust in your own body. It is hard to be performative underwater.
And, on a more personal note, at Woman’s Trust people tend to call me “A-li-che”, the Italian pronunciation of Alice. I like that. It reminds me that behind any job title there is still a whole person, and I think that matters in leadership too.

World Cup and domestic abuse: If his team lost, he would take it out on me

“If you walked in front of the TV, he’d swear at you. If his team lost, he’d take it out on me.”
For one domestic abuse survivor, Isla*, who was supported by Woman’s Trust, major football tournaments were not a cause for celebration but a source of dread.

As millions of fans prepare to cheer on their team at this year’s World Cup, she remembers spending match days walking on eggshells, carefully monitoring her partner’s mood and fearing what might happen if the result did not go his way.
“I would be a punching bag for anything going wrong,” she said.

Her experience reflects a troubling pattern identified by domestic abuse charities and police forces across the country. Research highlighted by Crimestoppers has found that incidents of domestic abuse increase by 38 per cent when England loses, rise by 26 per cent when they win, and remain 11 per cent higher the following day regardless of the result.

For some households, the final whistle signals far more than the end of a match.
The survivor described how football would bring out a side of her former partner that left the entire family living in fear – and all hidden behind closed doors.
“It was horrible behaviour – testosterone-fuelled. If his team lost, he would have a conversation with his mates and then take it out on me. He was aggressive; it would trigger a hateful side that wanted to get its own back.

“You’d be strangled, blindsided with a sucker punch. You would need to stay very calm because if you do pipe up to defend yourself, you’re back at square one. When the violence happens, you don’t know what’s coming next. You’re on eggshells.”

The impact extends far beyond the immediate incidents themselves. Woman’s Trust says women experiencing domestic abuse are more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, self-harm and suicide attempts.
Woman’s Trust is the leading specialist mental health charity supporting women recovering from domestic abuse. For 30 years, the organisation has helped survivors deal with the devastating psychological effects of abuse long after the violence has ended.

Laura McCarthy, Psychotherapist, and a Trustee at Woman’s Trust, says: “Football tournaments do not cause domestic abuse. Perpetrators cause domestic abuse. However, for women already living with coercive control and abuse, major tournaments can be a time of heightened fear and anxiety.

“If you are worried about your safety or a partner’s behaviour, trust your instincts, stay connected to trusted friends and family members where possible, and reach out for support. Specialist organisations such as Woman’s Trust provide trauma informed support to help women recover from the psychological impact of abuse and rebuild their lives free from fear.”

Campaigners also warn that extreme emotional reactions linked to football can often be dismissed as harmless passion.
Social media videos have been posted following Arsenal’s recent successes in which women joked about making the most of their partner’s good mood by asking for gifts or favours.
While intended as light-hearted content, campaigners argue the trend reflects a wider acceptance that dramatic mood swings are simply part of football culture.

He would make us watch the game

For the survivor, football matches also became another way for her former partner to exert control over family life.
“I would try to take the kids to the park, but he wanted us to watch it with him. He wanted our son to watch and get tips on being a player. But our son didn’t want to do that either.
“He would make us sit and watch it. It was so important to him. It was him being at the forefront again, controlling.”

Domestic abuse survivors also point to increased alcohol consumption during football matches as a factor that can intensify abusive behaviour, leaving victims with heightened anxiety and fear during tournament periods.
“If he drank spirits, it would be worse. He wouldn’t know when to stop and would become aggressive. It was on a par with lockdown; the focus was just in the home. It would be intense.”

Through Woman’s Trust’s Living Without Hope campaign, it is calling for £27.5 million per year to provide specialist mental health support for survivors.
Half of the women who approach the charity for specialist mental health support after domestic abuse are turned away due to chronic underfunding – leaving vulnerable survivors at heightened risk of suicide.

Crimestoppers has launched a national campaign urging people to recognise the signs of domestic abuse and share information anonymously.
The charity is encouraging people to look out for warning signs including controlling or jealous behaviour, a partner putting someone down in front of others, visible injuries, withdrawal from family and friends, and noticeable changes in mood such as anxiety or depression.

For the survivor, the stark statistics represent lived reality.
“The whole environment was filled with anger,” she said.

*Name changed.

Woman’s Trust was featured on BBC Radio London discussing the World Cup and the impact major sporting events can have on domestic abuse.

The interview featured Woman’s Trust CEO, Alice Piller-Roner, our client Isla and the Metropolitan Police.

Listen here:

Aaron Paul – 22/06/2026 – BBC Sounds
Hear Isla and Alice at 40:28
Isla and Met Police response at 1:41:00

This article was written by Calypso Lloyd-Davies and includes additional interviews by Victoria Birch, Communications Manager at Woman’s Trust

Social Housing Bill: An essential step towards protecting survivors from housing-based abuse

Woman’s Trust welcomes the increased powers in the Social Housing Bill, bringing forward long-awaited measures designed to prevent domestic abuse perpetrators from using housing as a tool of control.
For many survivors, abuse does not stop at physical or emotional violence. Housing insecurity and the threat of homelessness are frequently used by perpetrators to trap women in abusive relationships, forcing them to choose between their safety and having a roof over their heads.
And for many survivors, abuse continues long after separation. Perpetrators may weaponise housing, tenancy arrangements, rental deposits,  financial liabilities and homelessness threats as part of ongoing coercive control, using housing systems to maintain power and force continued contact.
The constant fear of losing a home can have a profound impact on mental health, contributing to trauma responses, anxiety, hypervigilance and a sense of entrapment that can make it harder for survivors to seek safety and recover.
The proposed legislation would give social landlords and courts new powers to remove perpetrators of domestic abuse from social housing while allowing survivors and their children to remain safely in their homes. It would also prevent perpetrators from exploiting tenancy arrangements to make victims homeless and create new routes for tenancies to be transferred into a survivor’s sole name.
At Woman’s Trust, we know that safe, secure housing is often the foundation that allows survivors to begin recovering from the trauma of abuse. Safe housing is not simply a housing issue. It is a basic need and mental health issue. Recovery from trauma requires both physical and psychological safety. When housing remains uncertain, survivors can remain in a prolonged state of threat, making recovery significantly more difficult.

Hester’s story highlights why these protections matter
Hester was given a social housing property at the age of 24 after becoming homeless. When she met her former partner, he gradually established himself in the property, despite the tenancy being solely in her name.
Over the next 25 years, Hester experienced sustained domestic abuse. Throughout the relationship, her former partner repeatedly pressured her to add him to the tenancy. She resisted because she understood that doing so could weaken her housing security and make it harder to protect herself and her children.
He repeatedly used housing as a means of control, attempting to force her to change the tenancy arrangements while claiming she “had all the power”. In reality, the ongoing threat to her sense of safety and security contributed to the psychological toll of living with abuse for so many years.
Following a violent incident, the relationship eventually came to an end. Crucially, because the tenancy remained solely in her name, Hester and her children were able to stay in their home. The stability of remaining in familiar surroundings and avoiding homelessness gave her the opportunity to focus on healing and rebuilding her life.
Reflecting on that experience, Hester said: “I was lucky that I still had my home for me and my children. Without that – and specialist mental health support from Woman’s Trust – I do not believe I would have survived. I would not be here today. It allowed me to reclaim my identity and rebuild strength and stability.”

A tool of coercive control
Hester’s experience reflects a wider pattern seen by specialist domestic abuse services. Housing insecurity is frequently used as a tool of coercive control, both during and after relationships, leaving survivors trapped between ongoing abuse and the threat of homelessness. Survivors should not have to lose their homes in order to achieve safety.
The Social Housing Bill is an important step towards recognising how housing can be weaponised by perpetrators and how secure housing can support survivors’ recovery. Importantly, it recognises that housing can be weaponised as part of coercive control and that abuse does not necessarily end when a relationship ends. The proposed reforms acknowledge that victims should not have to become homeless before action can be taken and that perpetrators, not survivors, should face the consequences of their abuse.
At the same time, Hester’s experience highlights the need for continued attention to the ways perpetrators exploit housing systems to gain control. Protections for survivors whose social housing tenancies are solely in their name remain an important part of preventing abuse, preserving housing security and protecting mental wellbeing.
As the Bill progresses through Parliament, we welcome measures that strengthen those protections and help ensure that women and children can remain safely in their communities, close to their support networks, schools and work. By helping survivors stay safely housed, these reforms can also support the recovery, stability and mental health that are essential for rebuilding lives after abuse.
For women and children, remaining safely housed can mean retaining community connections, support networks, schools and access to specialist services. These are not simply practical considerations. They are often the foundations upon which recovery is built.

Mental Health Awareness Week: Mental health reform will fail survivors unless domestic abuse is recognised as a specialist trauma issue

The Government’s new strategy to transform mental health care promises expanded access to therapy, earlier intervention and more community-based support.

These reforms are welcome. But there is a critical gap at the heart of the approach: generic, one-size-fits-all mental health provision does not work for survivors of domestic abuse.

Women who experience domestic abuse are more likely to attempt suicide, self-harm and experience PTSD. The figures are stark. There are more domestic abuse-related deaths by suicide than homicide, with at least two women dying by suicide every week following domestic abuse (NPCC, 2024).

Meanwhile, one in eight women in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking in the year ending March 2025. Eight in ten domestic abuse survivors identify long-term counselling and mental health support as their top priority need, yet only four in ten are able to access support nationally.

Survivors of domestic abuse do not present with typical forms of anxiety or depression. Their distress cannot be separated from the gender inequalities, power imbalances and ongoing trauma shaping their lives. Many are coping with coercive control, post-separation abuse, stalking, family court proceedings, housing insecurity and financial control.

Yet too often survivors are routed into short-term, protocol-driven services, such as Talking Therapies, that are not designed around the realities of coercive control and traumatic abuse. Survivors are frequently misunderstood, misdiagnosed or retraumatised within mainstream pathways.

For 30 years, Woman’s Trust has specialised exclusively in the mental health impact of domestic abuse, supporting thousands of survivors and developing specialist expertise in recovery from coercive control and gender-based trauma.

Our intersectional, trauma-informed model is designed specifically around the realities of domestic abuse and meets women where they are in their lives right now. This means recognising the ongoing impact of coercive control, power, safety, inequality and trauma, rather than treating women’s distress as isolated symptoms detached from the realities of abuse.

Our experience demonstrates that survivors achieve better engagement, safety and recovery outcomes when support is delivered by specialist practitioners with expertise in domestic abuse dynamics.

Services must also recognise how survivors’ experiences and access to support are shaped by intersecting identities including race, disability, neurodivergence, sexuality, immigration status and poverty.

If the Government is serious about transforming mental health care, it must go beyond expanding generic provision. Trauma-informed care must include specialist, gender-responsive services designed around the realities of domestic abuse, alongside clear and consistent referral pathways into them.

As mental health services are reformed, specialist domestic abuse organisations must not simply be viewed as referral partners, but as essential experts in designing trauma-informed responses for survivors. Policy reform developed without specialist domestic abuse expertise risks repeating the very gaps survivors already face within mainstream mental health provision.

Without this, survivors will continue to fall through the gaps of a system not built around the realities of abuse.

Mental Health Awareness Week: ‘If you’re still breathing, you’re stronger than you know’

Woman’s Trust was featured on ITV News at the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, outlining the impact of domestic abuse as new figures revealed a sharp rise in domestic abuse offences across London.

Former clients Natasha* and Sarah* spoke with journalist Olivia Guthrie about the support they received from the charity, which helped them rebuild their lives.

Sarah said in the report: “If you’re still breathing, you’re stronger than you know.”

Sona Barbosa, Head of Therapeutic Services at Woman’s Trust, outlined the devastating psychological impact of coercive control and other forms of violence and abuse, and called for more Government funding.

Data from the Metropolitan Police shows more than 93,000 domestic abuse offences were recorded in the capital during 2025 – around 6,000 more than the previous year. Early figures for 2026 suggest the trend is continuing, with offences already up 7.6% in the first three months of the year.

Speaking as part of ITV’s report, Sarah described the difficulties of leaving her abuser. She said: “There were cameras in every room of my house. There were recording devices in every room in my house, so I couldn’t make a phone call safely. I knew that if I didn’t leave, I was going to die.”

The feature also highlighted growing concerns from Woman’s Trust that domestic abuse is becoming increasingly complex, psychologically harmful and severe, while many women struggle to access specialist mental health support after abuse.

Woman’s Trust is calling for greater investment in trauma-informed services and wider recognition of the link between domestic abuse, poor mental health and suicide risk.

Through its Living Without Hope campaign, the charity is asking for £27.5 million per year to fund specialist mental health support.

*Names changed.

Watch the programme here

Read the Living Without Hope report
Read our Open Letter to Ministers