Therapy and practical help

We provide therapy and support for survivors of torture in the UK. Find out more below and complete the form to make a referral.

Please note, we are not a crisis service. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency visit the NHS website for information on getting urgent help.

More information about our services and making a referral

Where we work

Our services are available in the UK, from our centres in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Glasgow.

If you are looking for help from outside the UK, visit the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims website to find an organisation near you.

Who we help

We help men, women and children who have survived physical and psychological torture.

Most of our clients have been forced to leave their home country. They are refugees or seeking asylum.

Our clients come from more than 40 countries around the world.

Download our guidelines for more information about whom we help and how we assess referrals.

We only offer services for survivors of torture. If you are not a survivor of torture, consult your GP or another professional about the services in your area.

What we offer

We offer trauma-focused therapy to help with the effects of torture. This can include symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder such as nightmares and flashbacks. We can also help with complex trauma, depression and other mental health needs.

We offer further services to help our clients recover from their experiences and rebuild their lives. These can include creative group activities like music and gardening, social groups and physical therapy.

For our clients who are seeking asylum, we also offer practical advice. For example, information about accessing housing and healthcare.

We have interpreters who can attend therapy sessions and other services to translate.

How to get help

Please complete the referral form to request help. We review requests every week and will aim to respond to you within 2 weeks.

As a charity with limited resources, we need to prioritise our services to make sure that we help the people most in need of our support. To help us assess your referral, please provide as much detail as you can.

You can speak to your GP or advisor if you need help completing the form.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

Freedom from Torture Centre Catchment Areas

Birmingham (West Midlands) Centre

  • Birmingham
  • Coventry
  • Derby Postcodes DE1, DE3 and DE73 only
  • Leicester Postcodes LE1, LE2, LE3, LE4, LE5 only
  • Solihull
  • Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Wolverhampton and Worcestershire

Manchester (North West) Centre

  • Cheshire
  • Greater Manchester
  • Lancashire
  • Merseyside
  • This includes Birkenhead, Blackburn, Blackpool, Bolton, Burnley, Bury, Chester, Crewe, Darwen, Lancaster, Leigh, Liverpool, Manchester, Nelson, Oldham, Preston, Rochdale, Salford, Southport, Stockport, Warrington and Wigan.

Newcastle (North East) Centre

  •     Cleveland
  •     County Durham
  •     Northumberland
  •     Tyne & Wear
  •     The postcodes are DL, DH, NE, TS and SR

Glasgow (Scotland) Centre

  •  The whole of Scotland

London Centre

  •     Sees clients from TFL zones 1-6
  •     But responds to queries from everywhere that isn’t covered by another centre
OISC

Members of our legal and welfare service for clients are regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner.