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  1. Who we are

Meet the team

Our Senior Leadership Team

Helen Stevens - Chief Executive Officer

Helen joined the STARS team in November 2016 and brings her extensive knowledge of working in the private, public and voluntary sectors in a number of different roles. She is a creative, strategic business leader who trained with the Institute of Leadership and Management and is passionate about both developing and delivering the highest levels of service to our beneficiaries. Helen believes in building positive trusted relationships that enable effective partnership working.

In her role, Helen has led the team through some key development changes including our rebranding; head-office move and opening of a second STARS center in Dorchester. Through her fundraising experience our staff team has grown to meet increasing demand for our specialist support services. She regularly meets with commissioners and statutory services seeking to improve support for survivors, making sure they have access to specialist services to help them in their journey of recovery.

Helen is a non-executive director of her husband’s company; Trustee of a local charity and advisor to a newly established charity that she helped to establish. She is also a passionate gardener.

Stuart King - Operations Director

Awaiting bio.

Clinical Director

This role is currently being recruited.

 

Our Management Team

Tracey Parsons - Head of Adult Independent Sexual Violence Advisor Service

Tracey passed her NNEB qualification in 1985 and worked with children who were from deprived areas that had experienced physical and sexual abuse and neglect.

She then took some time out to bring up her own children before starting work in 2008 with BCHA as a Domestic Abuse support worker covering Christchurch, Bournemouth and Poole, She then completed her NVQ3 in Management and went on to Manage the Independent Domestic Violence Advisor Service (IDVA) , 2 Domestic Abuse Outreach services and 2 Mother and Baby units.

She joined STARS Dorset in July 2012 as one of three newly appointed Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) and then 18 months later became the Lead ISVA. Since Tracey's appointment the STARS Dorset ISVA team has grown from three to ten ISVAs in eight years.

Natalie Giles - Head of Adult Counselling

Natalie has worked within the Complex Needs and Domestic Abuse Sector for over 20 years. She previously worked in Southampton and London with homeless individuals and those living vulnerably with alcohol and drug dependency. Whilst in London she also worked outreach with women who were at risk of sexual exploitation. 

Before moving to STARS Natalie was the Manager for the Somerset Domestic Abuse Service and managed a staff team who worked directly with families and individuals at high risk of abuse and with those needing Refuge accommodation. During her time with the Domestic Abuse Service, she worked within the Safeguarding Unit at the Avon & Somerset Police Offices in Bridgwater as part of a Multi-Agency Team working with high-risk victims of domestic abuse.  She has trained agencies on domestic abuse and has also spoken at National Conferences on the need for Health Providers to be aware of domestic abuse when talking to patients.  She is a Safelives qualified Service Manager and has a BSC (Hons) Degree in Sociology, English Language and Linguistics.

Donna Willsher - Head of Children, Young People and Families

Awaiting bio.

Alison Woodward - Training Lead

Alison is a Supervisor, UKCP accredited Psychotherapist and Certified Transactional Analyst. She trained with Metanoia Institute initially and continues her learning to support her practice, most recently she has started working with EMDR.  She works both in private practice in Bournemouth and for the Sexual Trauma and Recovery Service (STARS) in Dorset. Alison also runs training events for counsellors and other related professional organisations specifically related to working with Trauma.

Alison has developed her experience in working with clients who have symptoms of complex PTSD. She works within a three-phase therapeutic trauma framework with her clients to ensure clinical safety and space to understand and resolve the intrusive symptoms that clients experience.

She is passionate about finding effective ways to work with complex trauma clients, she has seen how recovery can and does happen when clients are given the time and space to work.

 

Our Staff and Volunteers

STARS has a large team of staff and volunteers to support clients in their healing journey.

We employ a dedicated team of adult and child ISVAs who offer emotional support, information, and advocacy to our clients. Our ISVAs work closely with clients who have reported to the police or are contemplating doing so, providing them with the resources and knowledge to make informed decisions.

Our counsellors at STARS help clients process and understand their trauma. Our team includes specialist counsellors who work with children and those who have experienced domestic violence. While some of our counsellors are paid, many are volunteers who generously donate their time and skills. 

Our business support staff are essential for our counselling services to run smoothly, having received therapeutic training that provides them with a deep understanding of our clients' needs. We recognize that our business support team is a critical part of STARS, and we value their contributions to our mission of providing compassionate care to our clients.

Our Support Line, a core service and the foundation of our charity, is run by dedicated volunteers who have often been serving on the Support Line for many years. Our Support Line volunteers offer out of hours support to our clients.  We recognize the crucial role the Support Line plays in our organization, and we are grateful to our volunteers for their loyal support in providing compassionate care to those who need it.

Published: 4th March, 2019

Updated: 3rd May, 2023

Author:

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Sexual Trauma and Recovery Service - Dorset Rape Crisis
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