We offer counselling and, in some cases, trauma therapy to affected girls and women. We point you in the right direction and help you find further help. We can also accompany you to see lawyers, the police or doctors, if you so wish.

Our counselling services are:
•    Confidential
•    Anonymous, if you wish
•    Free of charge
•    Accessible

We counsel you:
•    By phone
•    Face-to-face
•    By Video

Our working principles

•    Partiality for girls* and women*
•    Working together to find possible solutions and make decisions
•    Respect for confidentiality

You are not to blame!!!! No matter how you acted. Whether you resisted or not, or how you were dressed, it is not your fault that your boundaries were violated. You are allowed to get support. Do not be left alone with your experiences. Talk to those closest to you or seek professional help. Talking about it can be very important, especially in an acute situation. Your reaction is just and your experiences are pertinent.

Our counselling centre in Leverkusen-Küppersteg is accessible. A counselling session usually lasts 50 minutes and takes place with you and a counsellor/therapist. You are welcome to bring a person you trust with you to the first session. You decide whether they attend the whole session or wait for you in an adjoining room.
First we present our services to you. We then move on to discuss why you came to us. Example of reasons can be:

•    Acute crisis due to an ongoing situation of violence
•    Persistent impairment due to a past experience
•    Essential support/information requirements in ongoing legal proceedings
•    Uncertainty in how to deal with a family member who is affected
•    Help applying for the Supplementary Assistance System Sexual Abuse Fund (Ergänzende Hilfesystem [EHS] Fonds Sexueller Missbrauch)

You decide what you want to say and how much. You do not need to go into detail about what you experienced.

Intercultural skills and sensitivity are important to us. Unfortunately, we can only provide counselling in German. If necessary, however, we can call in an interpreter to attend the counselling sessions.

Learning to cope with the violation of your personal boundaries often takes time. We can help you cope with what you have experienced and find relief. If you are currently exposed to danger, we can work out appropriate protective measures for you in a face-to-face counselling session.
These include:

•    Use of the Protection Against Violence Act (GewSchG) (the police have the power to order a family member who has threatened you to leave your home).
•    Women's refuges: http://www.frauen-info-netz.de/,

As well as highly personal solutions.

We work out the most suitable course of action for you based on your personal situation, such as:

•    Urgent support during the crisis in the form of dialogue
•    Specific information, such as about legal proceedings
•    Counselling sessions to clarify specific issues, such as, "Do I want to accept a therapeutic offer? Which one is right for me?“
•    Working out strategies to help you deal with family members who are affected
•    Diagnoses
•    Trauma therapy
•    Self-help groups
•    Referral to treatment services provided by other institutions
•    Help applying for the Supplementary Assistance System Sexual Abuse Fund (Ergänzende Hilfesystem (EHS) Fonds Sexueller Missbrauch)

We are sensitive to gender diversity and varying sexual orientations. We know: Each of us knows best about our own gender.  

As a women's emergency hotline, we are there for everyone who experiences sexual violence because they live as women* and girls* or are perceived as women* or girls*.  

As caregivers and professionals, people of all genders can seek help from us.

We urge you to reach out for help and not to remain alone with your experiences.

Here's how to find us:

Beratungsstelle gegen sexualisierte Gewalt e.V.
Damaschkestraße 53
51373 Leverkusen

Phone: +49 (0)214 206 1598
Fax: +49 (0)214 870 92 18
Email: info@frauennotruf-lev.de (do not use for enquiries about counselling services)

Phone consultation hours: Mon, Wed and Fri: 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Tue 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Please feel free to leave us a message outside these hours. We will call you back and then you make an appointment.