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Beyond Therapy Festival

The Green House founded Beyond Therapy in 2021. It is our annual cross-sector event designed to break the silence around child sexual abuse. Between 2023 and 2025 we are proud to deliver the festival as part of Upfront Survivors, a partnership project supporting the child sexual abuse community to lead cultural change through creating visible survivor-led spaces. 

Beyond Therapy is an innovative festival combatting child sexual abuse. It unites survivors, activists, artists and allies in a safe, joyous space. Co-designed with survivors, it features workshops, panels and performances, fostering creativity, community and dialogue against abuse.

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Get your Ticket for Beyond Therapy 2025

Our festival theme for 2025 will explore how we can build support for mental health following experiences of sexual abuse. Ticket sales are now live at the link above.

One of the greatest challenges of learning to live life alongside experiences of sexual abuse is managing the mental health impacts. Every day, young victims and survivors navigate trauma symptoms like anxiety, depression, and PTSD – all too often on their own. Currently, mental health care services focus on the medicalisation of trauma experiences; some are not appropriately trauma-informed, too short term, and too often accompanied by a long wait to talk to someone individually.

Outside of specialist services, practitioners worry about responding to disclosures of abuse and how to support survivors. Yet the latest research says that the type of support provided isn’t what makes the biggest difference – it’s about choice. This could be different needs at different times – a long-term talking therapy, a creative group, learning boxing or how to play the drums really loud! Healing is found in building relationships of trust, and connecting people with shared experiences together can be as beneficial in creating change as one-to-one therapy.

Our 2025 Beyond Therapy Festival will explore what healing means. Join us, as we bring together young survivor voices with the latest research and best practice and creative responses, so that we can consider together what effective community support for mental health looks like.

Click here to get your tickets.

Watch the short version of the Beyond Therapy 2024 film below or click here for the full version.

2024 Theme: Education

We know that disclosures of abuse are increasingly made in school and wider education settings. Yet, young people and families tell us that the response received in these spaces needs to change. Our festival draws together the latest research, innovations in best practice and survivors’ voices so that we can consider together – how we can create supportive spaces for those in education who have experienced sexual abuse.

You can read the full programme of workshops, panels and performances here:

Beyond Therapy Programme 2024

Photos by Lee Cooper photography

2022 Theme: Pre-trial Therapy

Therapy services form a critical part of the response to childhood sexual abuse, but currently, children and young people in the UK face multiple barriers to
accessing the support they need from services. The Bluestar Project conducted an exploratory research study designed to improve understanding of how access to therapy services for children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse can be improved.

You can find the full programme for Beyond Therapy 2022 here:

Beyond Therapy Programme 2022

Watch our trailer from Beyond Therapy 2022 below.

Articles & Resources

More Articles & Resources
We left feeling very invigorated and determined to continue to do all we can to help and support victims of child sexual abuse.
It was a really amazing thing to be able to get up on stage and share my experience through my writing.
I came out of the Festival of Activism feeling even more positive for my hopes of change in the community regarding how abuse is handled.

UpFront Survivors is funded through the Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (SVSCSA) Fund 2022/25 and developed and delivered by The Green House in partnership with Viv Gordon Company, SARSAS and Coventry University. 2024’s festival was part-funded by Arts Council England.