Who we are
Signs of Hope is a therapy service for Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing people or their relatives who would like Deaf-Aware counselling or psychotherapy.
About us
Signs of Hope was one of the first BSL counselling services in the UK, and has been supporting the Deaf Community since 2001. It began as part of Westminster Diocese Deaf Service (now the Caritas Deaf Service) and offered counselling to Deaf people in the Diocese of Westminster.
We are now a service of Caritas Westminster and have grown to offer counselling, psychotherapy and other services in London or online to anyone in the UK.
We offer:
Deaf-Aware support
We believe that it is important for Deaf people to have access to counselling and therapy in their own language without needing interpreters. We also believe that Deaf people have a right to therapy that understands the Deaf community, audism and communication deprivation and other issues that affect many Deaf people.
Faith-Aware support
For people who want to have therapy that understands religion and spirituality, we can offer faith-aware therapy.
For some people religion or spirituality is an important part of their lives. Faith-aware therapy offers a safe space to explore your religion or spirituality. This could include positive or negative experiences of religion and spirituality.
Faith-aware therapy can help you to:
- Explore your faith or spirituality or religious issues
- Understand the importance of your religion while supporting you with other issues
- Feel supported if you have experienced spiritual abuse
Domestic Abuse & Spiritual Abuse in the Deaf community
Domestic Abuse is more common in the Deaf Community; Deaf women are twice as likely to experience Domestic Abuse at some point in their lives. For abuse survivors who are religious, it is important that the support they receive understands the role of faith in their lives.
Some domestic abuse perpetrators or other people twist religious rules to force victims to stay with them: this is called spiritual abuse. It is a very powerful way to control someone and it is recognised as a form of Domestic Abuse under British law.
Spiritual abuse can also happen within faith communities, when someone tries to use religion to control or harm you. Spiritual abuse is very serious: it happens in cults, but it can also happen in any religion if someone exploits another person’s beliefs to religion to manipulate or control them. Spiritual abuse can be used with sexual, financial, or other kinds of abuse.
Deaf people can be more vulnerable to spiritual abuse because it is more difficult for them to access information or support.
Signs of Hope offers the following in BSL:
- Domestic abuse counselling
- Domestic abuse counselling that understands faith and spirituality
- Spiritual abuse counselling
Who can use Signs of Hope?
Signs of Hope is for people over the age of 18 who are:
- d/Deaf, Deafblind or Hard of Hearing
- CODAS and other relatives of Deaf people who want support that understands Deafness
- Deaf counsellors psychotherapists and other professionals
- Other people who use Sign Language to help them communicate
We welcome people of any racial or cultural background, sexual orientation, and of all faiths and none.
Neurodivergence, Trauma & Sign Language
Some hearing people use Sign Language to help them communicate when they have non-verbal shutdowns. People can experience non-verbal shutdowns when they feel overwhelmed, and this can happen more often for some people who are neurodivergent or affected by trauma.
Many people who experience non-verbal shutdown find Sign Language helps them to communicate and cope.
Signs of Hope can offer bilingual BSL/English therapy for hearing people who need to use a mixture of Sign Language and spoken English when they feel overwhelmed.
We are developing workshops to help people who experience non-verbal shutdowns and their loved ones learn to communicate with Sign Language.
Other support available
Counselling & Psychotherapy
Deaf Counselling
Other Support
Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD)
Faith-based support
FAQs
What will I have to talk about?
Your counsellor will ask questions to help you, but you don’t have to talk about anything if you don’t want to.
What if I am not sure if I want to have counselling?
Don’t worry, you can come and talk to an experienced counsellor free of charge to find out more. Then you can decide if counselling is right for you.
How long does counselling last?
Sessions are 50 minutes long, and normally once a week. The number of sessions varies a lot. It is usually between 6 and 20 sessions. You can always stop the counselling at any time if you want to.
Where does counselling take place?
For confidentiality, the counselling does not happen at the main office of Caritas Deaf Service. Counselling usually takes place at a separate site in Islington or remotely using video calling. Your counsellor will give you the details with your appointment.
For more information, download this leaflet.
Emergency support
If you are experiencing Domestic Abuse and you are in danger, call or text 999. You can also contact Signhealth’s Domestic Abuse service at da@signhealth.org.uk or on 07800 003421 (text only).
Contact us
General enquiries: 07534570420
Counselling & psychotherapy: 07936 939522 (text only)
Signs of Hope
Caritas Westminster
Vaughan House
46 Francis Street
London SW1P 1QN