Still I Am (SIA) Project
SIA offers free and confidential emotional and counselling support to women, all members of the trans community and non-binary people in Edinburgh and the Lothians, from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds aged 16 and over, who have had any form of unwanted sexual experience.
Is SIA for me?
- Has anyone ever touched your body in a way you didn’t like?
- Did they make comments about your body that made you feel uncomfortable?
- Did they make you do things to yourself or to them that made you feel horrible?
- Did you ever feel that you had no say on who touched your body?
- Did your emotions confuse you afterwards?
- Has anyone ever shared photos or videos of you or threatened to do so without your consent or knowledge?
This could have happened recently or in the past. It could have happened with someone who was close to you or a stranger. It could have happened many times or only happened once. Often after these incidents you might experience low mood, nightmares and feeling scared to go out or interact with others, alongside with feelings of panic and anxiety.
We understand that it can be very scary and hard to talk about these incidents. You may fear that by seeking help you may bring ‘shame’ or bring ‘dishonour’. However, it can also be very hard to forget what has happened or ignore how you are feeling no matter how much you try. In SIA we aim to empower you, take it at your pace. We will listen to you, believe you and will support you. You would not have to talk about anything you do not want to. We also want to congratulate you in seeking help. It can be a very scary and painful thing to do but talking to someone can help and we are here for you.
How does SIA work?
When you first get in contact you will have an initial appointment. After that you will be offered 25 sessions with a support worker. Each session lasts for 50 minutes. This support can be in person, over the phone, online or through email or text.
In the first session you might be asked if there is anything in particular you would like to talk about or work on. Often it is hard to know what that might be. That’s okay, you can work with your worker and explore what would be more helpful for you. This would be your space and time, so you can bring whatever you would like to the sessions.
Our SIA support workers can provide support in Arabic, Mandarin, Polish and Urdu. If we do not speak your language, we can arrange for an interpreter.
We can offer you an urgent appointment if your traumatic experience is within the last 14 days.
To make a referral or to get in touch, please email sia@ercc.scot, text 07966 067 301 or call 0131 556 9437 and leave a message.
Another way of contacting SIA can be through Rape Crisis Scotland’s national helpline which is open every day, 5pm – midnight: 08088 01 03 02. They can arrange for free language interpreters, including British Sign Language, to access support if your first language is not English.
Confidentiality
What you tell us remains confidential within our support team. We will not tell anyone you are accessing support. We will not give anyone any information about you unless you want us to. There may be some circumstances where we are required by law to share information with other agencies. We will always discuss this with you first. If this is something you are concerned about or need more information about you can ask for our confidentiality policy or discuss this further with your worker.
Translated information
Our SIA information has been translated into the following languages:
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