Mission: The mission of The bIRch House is to support adult female survivors and to promote healing from incest and childhood sexual abuse through programs, resources, education and advocacy.
Through a welcoming, all-survivor recovery community and within a confidential, all-survivor studio space, The bIRch House offers survivors the supports and tools they need:
(1) to prevent the repetition of abuse in their lives and the lives of their children, (2) to grow in self-understanding, self-compassion, and self-esteem, (3) to learn to make healthy choices emotionally, physically, sexually and spiritually, and (4) to build satisfying and productive lives.
We are committed to programming for survivors by survivors. The primary goal of The bIRch House is to make significant, positive impact on the lives of women who are survivors of incest and childhood abuse through free recovery programming that is likely to result in healing and growth.
Results: The measure of our success is the number of women survivors of incest and childhood sexual abuse who come to The bIRch House for programming. We seek to ease the suffering of survivors as they face the impact of incest and childhood sexual abuse on their adult lives. This begins with decreasing stigma and isolation and increasing connection and support. Survivors can email info@birch-house for screening and receive confidential email listings of offerings. Survivors new to our programs express surprise over finding a place of safety and belonging. They experience relief over new-found acceptance and validation. Survivors feel gratitude over realizing they are not alone and healing is possible. A warm and welcoming place where the survivor community can gather is essential for this. The bIRch House is the only organization in the Greater Boston area and well beyond offering adult survivors of incest and childhood sexual abuse comprehensive programs and services. Our studio space is the first in the country designed for survivor recovery.
Target demographics: adult female survivors within an all-survivor recovery community and within a confidential, all-survivor studio space
Direct beneficiaries per year: 200 people on our E-list
Geographic areas served: Arlington. Survivors join us from surrounding cities as well as Western MA and NH
Programs: Discussion groups, mind-body workshops as well as writing workshops for survivors.
Courage. Community. Heart. - The bIRch House logo. And it sums up what this place is about. Having the courage to help yourself heal and be in community takes heart. At least that's what I feel. This space is precious and much needed. I've gone to and helped facilitate the drop-in groups as well as other workshops. Each time, I feel the love and support this community offers.
The bIRch House is the only local organization that I know of that specifically serves childhood sexual abuse survivors specifically. So many services are for sexual assault survivors or victims of rape, while there is overlap none address the needs or issues of childhood sexual abuse/incest and the continuing impact on survivors lives. I am grateful for in person participation during the pandemic. To improve the experience I would like to see programs expand even more and funding is needed for that.
