SECASA provides time limited therapeutic interventions and counselling to people who have experienced sexual assault and/or family violence, and affected family members. SECASA also provides a 24/7 sexual assault crisis response for people who have been sexually assaulted in the past two weeks, or disclosed past sexual assault for the first time, and therapeutic interventions for children and young people with harmful sexual behaviours, and their families.
SECASA is a specialist government funded service available to women, men, non – binary folk and children who have experienced sexual assault and family violence.
The support we provide is time limited.
Our counsellors specialise in helping people recover from trauma arising from sexual assault and/or family violence.
Our aim is to provide you with a safe place to understand your experiences and help you to manage and reduce the impacts of those experiences.
The first few sessions will be an assessment together, to understand your hopes and goals for counselling, and decide on the counselling approach.
We are able to work with you for up to 6 months. Your counselling goals will be reviewed regularly by you and your counsellor.
It may be that your counselling needs are met in the first few sessions, or you may need more appointments to move further along in your healing journey.
Every counselling appointment is important.
Please let us know if you are unable to attend your appointment, or if the timing for counselling is not right for you now.
If two appointments are missed without contacting us, we may allocate your counselling place to someone on the waiting list.
Please let your counsellor or their team leader know if you do not feel like they are the right fit for you.
Your counsellor is here to support you. Please talk to them about anything that might get in the way of you being able to regularly attend your appointments, and any hopes or worries you might have about counselling at SECASA.
The experience of sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse or family violence can have far reaching effects on a person’s life, sense of identity and wellbeing. A person’s life may be affected in an ongoing way, with feelings and symptoms often surfacing at times of stress or during life transitions.
Common issues and feelings for our clients include:
Feelings of guilt and shame
Feelings of worthlessness and reduced self-esteem
Anxiety
Depression
Trauma
Relationship difficulties
Feeling overwhelmed by the decision to pursue legal matters
SECASA Counsellor/Advocates are trained social workers and psychologists who provide support that focuses on client needs and strengths. We support our clients by working together to create strategies to address the impacts of sexual assault and family violence and improve wellbeing. SECASA also provides advocacy for our clients.
We work from a Victims’ Rights Framework, which prioritises the empowerment of the client through providing choices, options and control over decision making and the counselling process.
SECASA can also provide support for affected family members and carers.
Our counselling site locations include:
Cranbourne
Dandenong
East Bentleigh
Hastings
McCrae
Monash University – Clayton campus
Monash University – Caulfield campus
Pakenham
Sandringham
Seaford
St Kilda
Quality of service is an important commitment for SECASA. To ensure compliance with health care standards and administration requirements, SECASA managers undertake audits of client files.
SECASA is committed to the safe and respectful handling of personal and health information. The handling of information is managed in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014, the Health Records Act 2001 and other legal obligations.
The Children, Youth and Families Act 2005, the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005, and the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 govern the sharing of information held by SECASA and privacy obligations.
SECASA is a prescribed information sharing entity under both the Child Information Sharing Scheme and Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme and may disclose information provided in accordance with those schemes.
Complaints regarding the handling of information should be directed to the manager. If not satisfied with the outcome, a direct complaint can be made to the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC), visit website www.ovic.vic.gov.au or phone 1300 006 842.
SECASA is the largest family violence and sexual assault service provider across the south-east metropolitan Melbourne.
If you are enquiring about your Appointment Time, please call one of the offices listed below:
03 9928 8741 East Bentleigh
03 8769 2200 Dandenong
03 8770 1000 Seaford
If you are in Crisis, please call SECASA on:
03 9594 2289 Crisis Line
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SECASA acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung peoples, and we pay our respects to them, their culture and their Elders past, present and future.
We welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender diverse, intersex and queer people into SECASA. We pledge to provide inclusive non-discriminatory services to LGBTIQ+ clients.
SECASA acknowledges all victims/survivors of all forms of abuse and neglect.
