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.
Each year the festival highlights a key area chosen by young people and families.
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:
Watch the short version of the Beyond Therapy 2024 film below or click here for the full version.
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.
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.