We support adults across Greater Manchester who have experienced sexual abuse or violence and have additional complex mental health needs that impact their ability to address their trauma.

We are a joint NHS and voluntary sector service, one of six projects nationally funded by NHS England’s £20 million investment for sexual assault and domestic violence services.

We (Pennine Care) provides this service in partnership with:

  • St Mary's Centre sexual assault referral centre (SARC)
  • We Are Survivors
  • Manchester Action on Street Health (MASH)
  • Trafford Rape Crisis
  • Greater Manchester Rape Crisis

 

You need to be involved with one of our partner organisations first. If they feel you might benefit from additional support, they can refer you to the Pathfinder Partnership. Visit our partners’ websites to find out how to self-refer to their services:

Consultation

Specialist psychotherapists work with staff at our partner organisations to consider your needs and provide advice on how best to support you. These consultations remain anonymous with no identifying information shared.

Assessment

We offer flexible, extended psychological assessments for people who might struggle to engage with standard NHS mental health services. This helps us understand your difficulties and identify the most appropriate support. This may include:

- Case management

Our pathfinder workers can help with liaison and referrals, providing advocacy and supporting you to engage with services.

- Preparation for therapy

We can help you prepare for therapy by developing strategies to manage distress or trauma symptoms, ensuring you get the most benefit from your treatment.

- Therapy

Our highly specialist psychotherapists provide evidence-based therapies including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR). This is available if you're unable to access trauma-focused therapy through standard routes due to needing:

  • A more flexible approach
  • More sessions than typically offered
  • Support with barriers such as anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

- Specialist psychiatric support

Our liaison psychiatrist can review your health records to better understand your past and current treatment. They can also consult with staff and liaise with other healthcare professionals on your behalf.

- Group work

We offer:

  • Skills groups to help manage difficult emotions
  • Future plans to include group cognitive behavioural therapy for childhood trauma

We understand that confidentiality is important for people who have experienced sexual abuse and violence. We will ask what information you are willing for us to share and with whom.

We would only consider breaking confidentiality if we have significant concerns about your safety or the safety of others. We would discuss this with you first, except in exceptional circumstances.

We offer bespoke training to partners and wider organisations on various topics related to trauma and mental health. Our training is designed to build capacity and expertise across Greater Manchester.

Examples of training we have delivered include: understanding moral injury and its impacts and psychotropic medication in trauma recovery.

Training can be tailored to meet the specific needs of your organisation and can be delivered in various formats. To discuss training opportunities, please email pcn-tr.gmrh.pathfinder@nhs.net or call 03330 095071.

Supporting those who work with trauma can be challenging. We understand the impact that trauma-related work has on professionals and offer dedicated support for staff.

In conjunction with our Greater Manchester Critical Incident and Trauma Service, we provide group reflective practice sessions and individual support for staff affected by their work.

Can I self refer directly to the Pathfinder Partnership?
No sorry.  You need to self-refer to one of our partner organisations first. If they feel it would be helpful, they can then involve the Pathfinder Partnership.

Do you see children?
Not at the moment. Our current service is for people aged 18 and above. We hope to expand this in the future.

Do you keep records?
Partner organisations keep records on their existing systems. If you're discussed at consultation, this record is kept anonymously on our electronic record system (PCMIS). If you see one of our clinicians, your records are stored securely on the PCMIS system.

I live outside Greater Manchester, can I access the Partner organisations?
Sorry currently we can only support people who live or have a GP within the Greater Manchester area

I am a health or social care practitioner; how do I contact you for advice and/or training?
Please email pcn-tr.gmrh.pathfinder@nhs.net or call 03330 095071