At SAMSN we are committed to supporting people to live fulfilling, caring, connected, healthy, purposeful, active lives. This section of the website focuses on activities that improve physical, mental and relational health, increase knowledge and skills, build resilience and enhance overall wellbeing.
The focus on wellbeing recognises that strengthening our foundations, broadening our support base and enhancing our resources, skills and knowledge, means we are less likely to be knocked off course and better able to respond when we are confronted with difficulties (including those related to abuse).
Engagement in activities that enhance our wellbeing can be valuable first steps towards reducing the influence of sexual abuse in the lives of survivors and supporters.
These are beneficial steps that do not require a person to publicly identify or talk about experiences of child sexual abuse in order to start working on improving their lives.
There is a growing emphasis in research and practice on enhancing wellbeing. It is now recognised that encouraging a range of activities that support and enhance wellbeing helps everyone (including survivors of abuse) to prevent, reduce and manage mental health and difficulties, and to live richer and more fulfilling lives.
Wellbeing is enhanced through routinely engaging in five identified domains of activity. Our wellbeing is strengthened and enhanced by:
Building upon the above list, SAMSN has created a collection of resources that assist in enhancing wellbeing and acknowledge challenges that survivors and supporters can face, including:
Grounding and breathing exercises
Unhelpful thinking patterns and basic problem solving
Trauma informed Yoga, Tai Chi and Qigong
Please note, the information contained on this page is general in content and is not a substitute for professional advice. We encourage you to prioritise your safety and wellbeing at all times and to consider speaking with a qualified health care professional.
If you are experiencing a crisis or are concerned about your personal safety or the safety of another person call Emergency Services – 000 or Lifeline – 13 11 14.
McMackin R. A., Newman E., Fogler J. M., & Keane T. M. (2012) Trauma therapy in context: The science and craft of evidence based practice. American Psychological Association.
There are also a number of other websites and resources that focus on wellbeing that are worth checking out, including:
What can we do to improve our wellbeing
In highlighting the value of investing in activities that strengthen our foundations and enhance overall wellbeing, we recognise that survivors and supporters also benefit from access to information and resources that address specific challenges associated with experiences of child sexual abuse. We encourage you to check out the following pages:
Survivors Information and Resources
Supporters Information and Resources
At SAMSN we are committed to supporting people to live fulfilling, caring, connected, healthy, purposeful, active lives. This section of the website focuses on activities that improve physical, mental and relational health, increase knowledge and skills, build resilience and enhance overall wellbeing.
The focus on wellbeing recognises that strengthening our foundations, broadening our support base and enhancing our resources, skills and knowledge, means we are less likely to be knocked off course and better able to respond when we are confronted with difficulties (including those related to abuse).
Engagement in activities that enhance our wellbeing can be valuable first steps towards reducing the influence of sexual abuse in the lives of survivors and supporters.
These are beneficial steps that do not require a person to publicly identify or talk about experiences of child sexual abuse in order to start working on improving their lives.
There is a growing emphasis in research and practice on enhancing wellbeing. It is now recognised that encouraging a range of activities that support and enhance wellbeing helps everyone (including survivors of abuse) to prevent, reduce and manage mental health and difficulties, and to live richer and more fulfilling lives.
Wellbeing is enhanced through routinely engaging in five identified domains of activity. Our wellbeing is strengthened and enhanced by:
Building upon the above list, SAMSN has created a collection of resources that assist in enhancing wellbeing and acknowledge challenges that survivors and supporters can face, including:
Grounding and breathing exercises
Unhelpful thinking patterns and basic problem solving
Trauma informed Yoga, Tai Chi and Qigong
Please note, the information contained on this page is general in content and is not a substitute for professional advice. We encourage you to prioritise your safety and wellbeing at all times and to consider speaking with a qualified health care professional.
If you are experiencing a crisis or are concerned about your personal safety or the safety of another person call Emergency Services – 000 or Lifeline – 13 11 14.
McMackin R. A., Newman E., Fogler J. M., & Keane T. M. (2012) Trauma therapy in context: The science and craft of evidence based practice. American Psychological Association.
There are also a number of other websites and resources that focus on wellbeing that are worth checking out, including:
What can we do to improve our wellbeing
In highlighting the value of investing in activities that strengthen our foundations and enhance overall wellbeing, we recognise that survivors and supporters also benefit from access to information and resources that address specific challenges associated with experiences of child sexual abuse. We encourage you to check out the following pages:
Survivors Information and Resources
Supporters Information and Resources
At SAMSN we are committed to supporting people to live fulfilling, caring, connected, healthy, purposeful, active lives. This section of the website focuses on activities that improve physical, mental and relational health, increase knowledge and skills, build resilience and enhance overall wellbeing.
The focus on wellbeing recognises that strengthening our foundations, broadening our support base and enhancing our resources, skills and knowledge, means we are less likely to be knocked off course and better able to respond when we are confronted with difficulties (including those related to abuse).
Engagement in activities that enhance our wellbeing can be valuable first steps towards reducing the influence of sexual abuse in the lives of survivors and supporters.
These are beneficial steps that do not require a person to publicly identify or talk about experiences of child sexual abuse in order to start working on improving their lives.
There is a growing emphasis in research and practice on enhancing wellbeing. It is now recognised that encouraging a range of activities that support and enhance wellbeing helps everyone (including survivors of abuse) to prevent, reduce and manage mental health and difficulties, and to live richer and more fulfilling lives.
Wellbeing is enhanced through routinely engaging in five identified domains of activity. Our wellbeing is strengthened and enhanced by:
Building upon the above list, SAMSN has created a collection of resources that assist in enhancing wellbeing and acknowledge challenges that survivors and supporters can face, including:
Grounding and breathing exercises
Unhelpful thinking patterns and basic problem solving
Trauma informed Yoga, Tai Chi and Qigong
Please note, the information contained on this page is general in content and is not a substitute for professional advice. We encourage you to prioritise your safety and wellbeing at all times and to consider speaking with a qualified health care professional.
If you are experiencing a crisis or are concerned about your personal safety or the safety of another person call Emergency Services – 000 or Lifeline – 13 11 14.
McMackin R. A., Newman E., Fogler J. M., & Keane T. M. (2012) Trauma therapy in context: The science and craft of evidence based practice. American Psychological Association.
There are also a number of other websites and resources that focus on wellbeing that are worth checking out, including:
What can we do to improve our wellbeing
In highlighting the value of investing in activities that strengthen our foundations and enhance overall wellbeing, we recognise that survivors and supporters also benefit from access to information and resources that address specific challenges associated with experiences of child sexual abuse. We encourage you to check out the following pages:
Survivors Information and Resources
Supporters Information and Resources
What does it take to grow stronger than your past?
STRONGER shares the stories of male survivors of childhood sexual abuse, their families and allies as they reflect on their personal and professional journeys.
Featuring: Janet, Missy, Tracy, Louise, Matthew O, Sheridan, Raelene Boxwell
Listen to the STRONGER podcast and download transcripts here.
There are a number of excellent books specifically written to assist men who have experienced child sexual abuse or sexual assault, their partners, friends, family and agency professionals. Reading can be a safe and accessible way of obtaining information about what can be helpful in understanding and overcoming the effects of sexual assault. Reading about other men’s experiences can help relieve the sense of isolation and give hope and ideas for action you might take or how someone might assist you.
Please remember to prioritise your own well being when reading books that deal with the topic of child sexual abuse or sexual assault. We invite you to:
Below are some questions that you might wish to consider whilst reading:
Don’t forget, you can stop reading at any time, book mark a page, and leave it to come back to later. Also, no book can cover everything a man who has survived child sexual abuse or sexual assault will experience, every person has their own story to tell.
Developed by Australia’s emergency services and their government and industry partners. The app uses GPS functionality to help Triple Zero (000) callers provide critical location details.
Download for Apple / Download for Android
A suicide safety planning app. Convenient and confidential, this app puts your safety plan in your pocket so you can access and edit it at any time.
Download for Apple / Download for Android
Similar to bSafe where you can set it up to track your location for a period of time until you reach your intended destination. If you don’t confirm your safety by the time allocated, the app contacts your designated friends with your GPS location. Shaking your phone can also trigger an alert
Helps manage anxiety by confining worry to a specific time each day.
Download for Apple / Download for Android
Is specifically designed to assist men who have been sexually abused in childhood and is designed to complement not replace the work of a qualified health professional.
Our values can act as a kind of reference guide or compass for who we are, how we want to be and where we want to go in life. Our values can shape our life choices and responses to different and difficult situations.
Our brain generates thousands of thoughts each day. Some thoughts are really useful, absolute gold, while others are unhelpful and best left to one side. The trick is to learn to see these thoughts for what they are – thoughts only, ideas generated by your mind, and not reality.
Our wellbeing is enhanced through engaging in a range of activities, including through connecting and learning. Detailed below is some information and suggestions on enhancing connections and learning in our lives and contributing to overall wellbeing.
Emotions are part of our everyday life. We are all born with a capacity to experience and express a wide range of emotions. The below information is designed to assist in better understanding and managing emotions and living an emotionally engaged life.
It is useful for all of us, whatever our life experiences, to have access to a range of breathing and grounding exercises that can assist us to settle and calm ourselves, to help anchor us in the present moment.