If you’ve been through abuse and now find yourself waiting for court, you might feel as though your whole life has been put on pause. The waiting can feel endless, the legal system overwhelming, and the emotions that come up along the way exhausting. You are not alone in feeling this.
This is where pre-trial therapy can help.
What is pre-trial therapy?
Pre-trial therapy is support you can have before your case goes to court. For a long time, survivors were told it was best to “hold off” until after a trial. The idea was that therapy might somehow affect the evidence. But what we know now is that holding back support often leaves people struggling on their own, when they most need care.
Pre-trial therapy isn’t about preparing you for court or shaping what you say. It’s about supporting you as a person—helping you find steadier ground, making sense of the impact of trauma, and giving you space to breathe when everything feels overwhelming.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance emphasizes two essential truths:
- Therapy should not be delayed due to fears it might influence evidence. Denying survivors emotional support can hinder both healing and justice. Crown Prosecution Service
- Confidentiality, trust, and independence are foundational. Therapists must uphold professional boundaries, and legal and ethical frameworks must guide access to therapy records.
Enter The Bluestar Project: Elevating Pre-Trial Support
The Bluestar Project, led by The Green House with partners such as the University of Bristol, SafeLives, and the Sexual Violence Consortium, was established to forge a clearer, evidence-informed path for pre-trial therapy, especially for children who have been sexually abused. Supported by the Home Office’s Child Sexual Abuse Support Services Transformation Fund, this research aimed to explore how access to pre-trial therapy and online support could be strengthened and more accessible. Their work shines a light on how trauma really shows up in people’s lives—and how important it is that survivors get support without fear of damaging their case.
The effects of trauma
When someone has lived through abuse, the effects can show up in all kinds of ways—sometimes long after the event itself. You might notice:
- Switching off or dissociating – feeling far away or disconnected, like you’re not really in your body.
- Shutting down – going blank, freezing, or struggling to get words out.
- Flashbacks or panic – moments where the past feels like it’s happening all over again.
- Self-doubt – questioning your own memories, or feeling scared you won’t be believed.
These are completely natural responses to trauma. But in the courtroom, they can sometimes be misunderstood. If someone goes quiet, struggles to recall details, or looks detached, it may be seen as a sign they’re uncertain. In reality, it’s the body protecting itself under stress.
Why this matters
You shouldn’t have to choose between healing and justice. Pre-trial therapy means you can have both: support to help carry the weight of trauma and the chance to take part in the legal process.
Therapy can’t take away what happened, and it won’t erase all the difficult feelings, but it can help you feel steadier. It can give you ways to ground yourself when things feel too much, and remind you that you don’t have to go through this alone.
If you’re waiting for court and feeling like you have to “hold everything in” until it’s over, please know you deserve care now, not later. Pre-trial therapy exists for you—to help you find moments of calm, to remind you of your strength, and to walk alongside you during what can feel like an impossible time.
