Support & Help

We can help you cope with the emotional impact of crime

Crime can have a damaging impact on your mental and emotional well-being. If you’ve been affected by crime, one of the ways we can help you is by giving you the support you need to cope with emotional stress.

What we do is similar to counselling, but it’s not the same. Counselling is a very specific type of therapy practised by qualified professionals who analyse someone’s entire life and history to help them understand themselves better. That’s not something most victims of crime need – usually, they just need some help dealing with the emotional turmoil they’re experiencing. But when we think someone does need counselling, we can help to arrange it.

Our staff and volunteers are trained to listen, give information and offer feedback. They can help you to make sense of what you’ve been through, discuss your options and help you to feel like you’re getting your life under control again. We won’t ask you to tell us what happened, and you can choose how much you want us to know.  Talking with us gives you the chance to get things off your chest and let go of distressing experiences.

While some people can do this with friends and family, it doesn’t work that way for everyone, especially if those around you are affected by the crime too. We can provide a safe, neutral place for you to voice your fears, worries and emotions. This helps a lot of people to cope and move forward after a crime.

We provide practical help to victims in the aftermath of crime

Being a victim of crime can lead to all kinds of practical problems. This can range from minor issues through to serious medical problems or the loss of your home. While emotional support can help you to deal with your feelings after a crime, practical problems often act as reminders of what you’ve been through and make it harder to get your life back under control.

That’s why we also offer help with sorting out the practical implications of crime.

We can help with tasks like filling out forms (for criminal injury compensation claims, for example), and if your case goes to court, our Witness Service can help with your needs assessment, and arrange a familiarisation visit to the court, explain the process and talk you through what might happen.  We’ll give you the information you need to understand your options and next steps.

If you need specialist help that we don’t think we can provide ourselves, we can help connect you with other agencies to get the support you need. We work closely with a wide range of charities and other organisations that have the expertise to help you with many of the problems caused by crime.

Our service is confidential, and unless we believe there’s a risk of harm to you or someone else, or there is a legal requirement for us to disclose your information, we will always protect your confidentiality and will not pass on your personal details or any other information that could identify you without your permission.

The following examples explain how and when we may have to disclose information, both with and without your permission.

We can always share information with other people/agencies if we have your informed consent to do so, for example with Criminal Injuries Compensation Services to progress a claim you’re making.

If you give us reason to believe that you or someone else is at risk of significant harm, we may need to inform another agency such as social services or the police. Unless that risk is imminent we will try to discuss the situation with you before disclosing anything.

If we suspect that a child or young person is at risk of harm we must inform social services. This is a legal requirement.

If a judge directs that information must be disclosed to the court, we will comply with the direction, but we will always try to let you know before we do so.

Victim Support NI is often asked by the media to provide ‘case studies’ to explain the impact of crime on individuals and to illustrate the wider issues around a particular crime. We do so only with the consent of the individuals involved.  If you would like to take part in research, or be available for media interviews, you can let us know using our Contact Form or by emailing info@victimsupportni.org.uk