Abortion Recovery Care & Helpline

We're so grateful for our Befrienders - the wonderful volunteers who cover our Helpline.
We have Befrienders all across the UK and today we were delighted to spend some time with some of the ones in Scotland. It was a great opportunity for them to meet others they've never met before and for them to chat to us about their role. Some attending have volunteered for us for over 20 years, some have worked for us and some have just started - but each one has a real passion to care for those who are hurting.
We're looking forward to having more gatherings like these with other Befrienders in different parts of the UK.

We are thinking of all our callers today, especially those who are not known as mothers. Remember our Helpline is open this evening, 7pm-10pm, and every evening.

*** COERCED ABORTION ***
We need your help to help others.
If you were pressurised or coerced in any way to have an abortion can you take a few minutes to tell us about it?
... Around 75% of our callers experienced some form of pressure or coercion, from the subtle to the brutal.
We are trying to gather more information about these experiences to help other women and girls facing pressure or coercion.
If you can share something of your experience, in confidence, we would be very grateful.
We want to do all we can to protect women and their families.
#coercedabortionisabuse
https://www.archtrust.org.uk/item.php?pg= news&pd=1002&it=22
See More

IF YOU WERE COERCED OR PRESSURED INTO AN ABORTION...
We need your help to help others. If you were pressurised or coerced in any way to have an abortion can you take a few minutes to tell us about it? Around 75% of our callers experienced some form of pressure or coercion, from the subtle to the brutal. We are trying to gather more information about these experiences to help other women and girls facing pressure or coercion. If you can share something of your experience,... in confidence, we would be very grateful. We want to do all we can to protect women and their families.
#coercedabortionisabuse
https://www.archtrust.org.uk/item.php?pg= news&pd=1002&it=22
See More

We are always aware that Christmas is not all 'happy' for many of our callers. Please remember, you are not alone. Please remember, there is always hope. Please remember, our Helpline is open 365 days a year 7pm-10pm, staffed by volunteers, ready to listen with compassion and without judgement.
We know abortion hurts, that's why we're here.
[Please note: We have had some difficulties this week with the answerphone so if you are having problems getting through please try again.]

Practicing some mindfulness and affirmations today in the office on a busy day! The counselling-directory describes mindfulness as "a way of being and becoming more aware of what is going on within and around us, noticing when we’re on automatic pilot instead of being fully present in the moment." Beneficial for everyone in any walk of their life to reflect on what is happening deeper within ourselves. This is a random card we pulled today to reflect upon.

Goodmorning all!
As our Befriender Training was last weekend, I wanted this month's video to reflect on Compassion. Not just to others but also ourselves.
One of the final discussions for our training was a glimpse at self-care and how in taking care of ourselves we feel more grounded and also are more positioned to interact with others, which is much of what we do here at ARCH.
... We participated in a self reflective exercise used by Professor Paul Gilbert, which all found quite useful for acknowledging things going on in our minds that we were not aware of.
Here is a short video just to reflect on the idea of compassion in action. It is in no way comprehensive, but some interesting beginning thoughts.
See More

We had a fantastic weekend training new befrienders for the helpline. Three days away on their own time to learn all we can offer. We are always grateful and impressed by the dedication and empathy of our befrienders. This is the second training this year due to the increase of volunteers coming to us! And as such, we are constantly growing in our ability to support people. Thank you to our current and new befrienders!

We are unfortunately experiencing some further disruption with our Helpline number at the moment due to issues relating to our recent office move.
We are unable to remotely log in to the lines outwith the office as normal therefore our Befrienders are unable to pick up any calls. You will still be able to leave an answerphone message which we will pick up on Monday.
The best way to contact us until this is rectified is by email : info@archtrust.org.uk... or please leave a voicemail with your contact number and we will call you back as soon as we can.
Apologies for anyone who has tried to contact us, we hope to have this rectified as soon as possible.
See More

Our Helpline is now back up and running again and will be available as normal from 7-10pm this evening - we hope the issue has been resolved indefinitely.
If for any reason you experience any issues, please contact us by email in the meantime : info@archtrust.org.uk
Apologies once again for the short loss of service.

We are experiencing some disruption with our Helpline number at the moment.
The best way to contact us until this is rectified is by email : info@archtrust.org.uk
If you leave a contact number, we will call you back as soon as we can.
... Apologies for anyone who has tried to contact us, we hope to have this rectified as soon as possible.
See More

In Scotland it is now legal to take the chemical abortion pill misoprostol at home rather than in the clinic. This is the second of the set of two pills to carry out what is referred to as a "medical abortion".
We would be interested in hearing your views if you've had a medical abortion in a clinic or hospital. What do you think of the option to take this pill at home? Or if you have taken the pill at home, we would be grateful to hear about your experience.
Please contact us privately and confidentially through email (info@archtrust.org.uk) or on Facebook messenger. Please do not post in the comments.

We at ARCH understand that life experiences are so personal and individual, and yet we are not alone in our pain or search for understanding.
We would like to begin exploring more aspects of mindset, self-talk, tools for creating new habits or thoughts and general support through our website and this Facebook page for anyone looking to delve deeper into personal development, understanding themselves or understanding how to support others in their lives.
Not all information w...ill be obviously linked with abortion recovery, but as it is such a multifaceted experience, you will find that all topics discussed will support the holistic care of oneself and ultimately anyone recovering may find usefulness in the different topics discussed. You may also find it gives you better guidance to support someone in your life or that you meet.
This is not a replacement for anyone looking to speak to someone or for counseling. Our helpline is as ready as always. This is an opportunity to expand our usefulness to you.
We will begin with a video of the month and perhaps expand on to reading resources and book reviews.
This first video is from Dr. Steve Peters on how the mind works and understanding why our actions do not always align with our "ideal" selves. The cycle of patterns we end up living our lives in can feel binding and confusing.
Understanding the mind and how we think and behave can be extremely enlightening. Whether you are trying to understand your own inner thoughts or trying to support someone in your life.
Thank you for your continued support.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-KI1D5NP Js
See More

Our Helpline will run as normal this evening and tomorrow on our usual number.
There may be intermittent line disruption which is out of our control for the time being so if you receive a message saying the line isn't in use then please contact us via social media or text as per previous post.