Women’s Support Group

NEW @ The Sanctuary | Women’s Support Group: Freedom Programme

Domestic violence is a tragic fact of life and one that is often painful to acknowledge or seek help for when it happens. We’re very honoured to offer a space at the Monastery to a well-established support programme that offers help & support to victims and survivors.

Starting at 12.15pm on Tuesday, 16th November (term-time only) our new support session, which is free of charge, will be based in our newly launched Sanctuary.

What is the service & who is it for?

The Freedom Programme is a domestic violence programme which was created by Pat Craven and primarily designed for women, since research shows that although domestic abuse can strike in any relationship, the majority of cases of serious domestic abuse tend to be perpetrated against females.

Although this specific support group is for women, we offer help and assistance to the whole community with a range of issues via our listening service. If you are male or gender fluid and need help, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Find out how by clicking here.

How will the programme help me?

The Freedom Programme examines the roles played by attitudes and beliefs on the actions of abusive individuals and the responses of victims and survivors. The aim is to help survivors make sense of and understand what has happened to them. The Freedom Programme also describes in detail how children are affected by being exposed to this kind of abuse and very importantly how their lives are improved when the abuse is removed.

How long does the programme last?

The programme usually lasts for 11 or 12 weeks and is FREE. Each session lasts 90 minutes. This is a rolling program and women are able to join at any point in the 12 weeks with 2 exceptions. Please get in touch with the facilitator for more information.

Who is facilitating the Freedom Programme?

Sanam Iqbal will be facilitating the freedom program under her non profit community organisation, The Art Of Joy Project. Sanam founded her organisation to support those affected by domestic abuse after surviving abuse herself. Sanam completed the freedom program – as a service user – almost 10 years ago. She vowed that one day she would go on to become a facilitator of the program and offer the invaluable support she had received to others. After many years of training, now is that time. In short, anyone participating in the Freedom Programme can be sure that Sanam will hear and understand what you’re going through, every step of the way.

It’s said that empathy itself is a powerful medicine. We at the Monastery wholeheartedly support Sanam’s passion and dedication to help others, along with the life experience she brings to her sessions.

What happens after I’ve completed the programme?

You won’t be alone. The aim of this support group is to create a community of survivors, ready to help, support and empathise with one another. Surviving in isolation is possible. But thriving, not just surviving, with a community of people who understand your situation, is possible with the right support. In Sanam’s own words:

“If I can end domestic abuse in my life, anyone can with the right support and information.’

The message to domestic abuse survivors is clear. Please don’t suffer alone. Don’t suffer in silence. We’re here for you, please reach out.

If you know someone who is living with domestic abuse, please share this information.

If you need urgent help, The National Domestic Violence 24 hour helpline number is 0808 2000 247

Related Services @ The Sanctuary

Don’t forget that The Sanctuary at Manchester Monastery also offers a daily silent meditation, Sunday-Thursday, from 12-1pm, which you can find out more about by clicking here.

We offer free counselling via our listening service from Sunday-Thursday each week which you can find out more about by clicking here.

We offer an advice and support drop-in service from 12-3pm each Monday with Be Well. You can find out more about it by clicking here.

Admission is free and so is parking. We’re here for you so please don’t be shy. We’re a friendly, helpful bunch and warmly invite you to become a part of our growing, mutually supportive community.

#thereisanotherway