Birdsong is a not-for-profit, non-sectarian, free-thinking, facilitated peer support group for and by female incest & childhood sexual trauma survivors.
In the fall of 2008 we hope to resume our weekly meetings on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
Birdsong is a non-profit, free thinking support group who derives its name from the poem "Sympathy", by the American Poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar, as well as from the book, " I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" by the best selling southern writer Dr. Maya Angelou.
Just as the author of "Sympathy" understands the melancholy song of the caged bird, "Not as a song of joy or glee, but a cry for freedom toward heaven it flings" we at Birdsong understand and give voice to the often overlooked and unheard incest survivor.
Since Birdsong is a group by incest survivors, for incest survivors, there is an obvious open and sympathetic environment, where the sometimes painstaking and emotional steps necessary to address the ever present Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with which the incest survivor invariably suffers and begin to develop coping skills to deal with life on life's terms in an environment free of harsh judgments or taboos.
Birdsong is an organization which has sprung from the consciences and spirits of many women over the years frustrated by the lack of treatment options available to the incest survivor. We are not an organization of rulers, but of servants, the empowerment of peer involvement within the group coupled with the unparalleled therapeutic value of one survivor sharing with another, their experiences, fears, strengths and dreams are all a part of what makes Birdsong special.
In addition to the development of coping skills with which to deal with life and friendships that could last a lifetime, we are happy to extend medical as well as psychiatric referrals, as we have an established affiliation with Mt.Sinai Medical Center
Of course, substance abuse referrals and treatment options are always an important service in a group of people so long suffering and isolated as the incest survivor.
Birdsong is obviously concerned that no person ever need suffer the indignities of homelessness, however, we are a relatively new group, only now in proposal process' for funding, our ability to establish affordable housing referrals will grow. For now, we are working within the S.R.O. circuit.
We are dreamers here at Birdsong, but we are also realists, incest and the sexual abuse of women and children is at an all time epidemic, one in three women will be raped in her lifetime, society no longer has the luxury of denial!!! Which brings us to the next and by far loftiest goal of Birdsong, to become a real, vocal, and active voice which will impact services and even legislation for the incest surviving community.
For too long the women and children caught up in the deafening shame and crushing stigmatism of incestuous abuse suffered in silent desperation ---- NO MORE!!!
If you or someone you know has struggled with issues like these, please don't suffer alone.