Selling or exchanging sex can have specific impacts on women's mental health. However, women are often faced with stigma which can prevent them from disclosing their involvement. And this lack of mental health can have a knock on effect on other aspects of their lives such as their housing situation, substance use, safety, life aspirations and access to services in general. 

A 2022 report by specialist service Beyond the Streets found that mental health was the support theme most frequently mentioned by women selling or exchanging sex, and 96% of the women said they were concerned with accessing mental health services.

Following the publication of our Safety bulletin, here we explore the links between selling or exchanging sex and mental health. Included in this bulletin is an interview with a trained psychotherapist and expert in violence against women, as well as a wealth of resources to reflect on your role as a worker when supporting the mental wellbeing of women. I hope you find this bulletin useful!

The CSE Aware Resource Worker

Access to mental health care is fundamental for anyone who needs it, and poor mental health can prevent people from living a full and rich life and make it harder to maintain even the most basic needs, like food and shelter. 

In this article, we explore some of the ways in which selling and exchanging sex can impact on women’s mental health, the barriers that prevent them from engaging with mental health support, and the ways in which workers in any service (whether focused on mental health or not) can support the mental wellbeing of women.

• CLiCK bitesize - Mental health
  A training resource exploring the safety needs of women involved in the 'sex industry'. Includes PowerPoint slides and training notes.
  
• CLiCK Cast Episode 4: Mental Wellbeing
  This podcast episode by CLiCK Scotland discusses the mental health of women selling/exchanging sex online, particularly the impact of the pandemic. Read the show notes.
• Encompass Focus On... Mental health
  ​This briefing based on the snapshot of Encompass services and the needs presented by the 150 women they support shows the prevalence of mental health issues and need for support of women who sell or exchange sex.
  
• The mental health of female sex workers

• Experiences of women who sought support for their mental health after rape or abuse

• Support needs of women involved in the uk sex industry

28 September, 11:30am - 1pm

Our next CSE Aware event will offer an introduction to the mental health needs of women involved in selling or exchanging sex in Scotland. We will reflect on the links between women’s mental wellbeing and their wider needs, and discuss examples of good practice when responding to women.

Mexican sex workers fight injustice with the pen 

A group of women selling sex on the streets of Mexico has gotten together to create a magazine to report on issues affecting women in their community and to ensure their voices are properly represented in the media.

Read more

When engaging with women involved in selling or exchanging sex, workers can hear about violence, abuse and exploitation which can have an impact such as vicarious trauma. This is why offering effective support and supervision is essential for those working in areas where they can be exposed to trauma.

Effective support and supervision is a critical element of trauma-informed practice. It recognises that trauma is pervasive and therefore seeks to mitigate its impact. Above all, it plays a key role in preventing and managing the burnout, compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma that those in helping professions are exposed to.

In our Safety bulletin, we asked readers to describe effective support and supervision in their own words. We received some insightful responses that show just how important it is for teams to incorporate the five principles of trauma-informed care.

Below we show how the responses we received link to those five principles: 

Safety: supervisors provide physical and psychological safety in the environment and relationships. Respondents listed stewardship, direction, administration which shows how important it is for the workers to feel that they are rooted within the organisation and that they are part of a collective when navigating the complex waters of human services.

Trust: supervisors lead with integrity and they are transparent and consistent in their communication. The responses that we have received included mutual trust and respect as well as more than box ticking – implying that workers’ trust needs to be earned through meaningful engagement process.

Collaboration: supervisors address power asymmetries and engage staff in the decision-making process. The importance of listening, patience and genuine care was highlighted in our survey.

Empowerment: supervisors promote a strengths-based approach. Some of our readers prioritised praise and encouragement, showing that staff want to feel valued and celebrated.

Choice: supervisors ensure that staff have a voice within the organisation and offer choice whenever possible.

Your comments made it loud and clear: support and supervision cannot and should not be a mere box-ticking exercise. It has to be relational, adequately resourced and visionary.

If you are unable to use the response above, use this link to open the bulletin on your browser and submit your response.