Welcome
Welcome to Tauwetter, Berlin’s contact point and counselling center for men who were the victims of sexual violence in their childhood or as youths. It’s great that you have found your way to our website. Unfortunately, because our website is so big, we have not been able to translate everything on it. We have therefore decided to present our Welcome page in several languages providing some brief information about the services we offer.
Who can come to Tauwetter for advice and counselling?
Our service is available to all men who were the victim of sexual violence – no matter what type or by whom – in their childhood or as youths. We give counsel on all questions and problems that have resulted from the sexual violence you experienced when you were younger and its effects. We are a victim counselling service, which means we do not work with perpetrators, either male or female, that is, with people who are or have been responsible for acts of sexual violence.
In addition to the victim or survivor himself, other people too can be affected by sexual violence: partners or other supporting friends and relatives often have many questions and can also turn to us for help. We also counsel people who encounter this subject in their job.
How do advice sessions take place?
Tauwetter’s counselling service is provided anonymously and free of charge. Donations are of course welcomed.
The counselling sessions at Tauwetter are absolutely confidential; the only exception is if there is a concrete risk to a child’s well-being because of sexual violence.
We do not offer therapy and we do not make a diagnosis. We offer advice during which the questions and problems of the person seeking advice are the main focus.
Up to five counselling sessions are possible; we do not offer long-term support.
Upon request, you can bring someone along to support you, but our counselling is always aimed at only one person. If the person there to support you has his/her own questions, s/he will need to make a separate appointment.
Couples can arrange relationship counselling following individual consultancy. This takes place in cooperation with the women’s self-help group and counselling service Wildwasser Berlin. Tauwetter cooperates with other facilities that work with the subject of sexual violence and also connects those seeking advice with such groups if necessary.
What languages do we offer counselling and advice in?
At the present time, we offer advice services by German-speaking and English-speaking members of staff. For other languages, we use the services of the community interpreting service during sessions.
If you would like an advice session with an interpreter, please contact us per email (or by post) and we will organise everything for you.
Our contact address:
Tauwetter Anlaufstelle, Gneisenaustrasse 2a, 10961 Berlin
What other services do we offer?
Every Tuesday from 6 to 7 pm we have an open counselling hour. You can come by without prior appointment. One-to-one talks with a counsellor are possible and people will be consulted in the order of their arrival. Unfortunately the counsellors available don’t all speak English.
You can always reach us on the telephone as follows:
Tuesdays from 4 to 6 pm
Wednesdays from 10 am to 1 pm and
Thursdays from 5 to 7 pm at 030 / 693 80 07
Tauwetter also organises self-help groups in German. These are for men who have been victims of sexual violence or suspect this. We also organise groups for partners of men who have been sexually abused.
We wish you courage, success and all the best
Your Tauwetter Team
