Project Anchor- adolescent victims of sexual abuse

Although, it took some time for this cohort of group members to become acclimated to the group setting, and to Fair Haven Center for Women, they are beginning to share openly about their experiences. They are continuously showing less intimidation of being judged by their peers. They willingly encourage each other and continue to use their voice to ask for what they need in their recovery journey. 

We have concluded our first session of Anchor and celebrated at our Christmas party, which was a HUGE success! Our participants were royally blessed by the expression of generosity acquired through monetary donations and involvement from a special church in our community.

In our second session, we are continuing to encourage and empower our group members to honor their emotions. However, we are also teaching them to recognize and redirect their cognitive distortions. We have implemented more play therapy into this particular session, in hopes of livening up the information that we will be relaying to the participants.

Financial Needs/Wants for the Program

• Larger space (Our program is expanding and changing, which requires more physical space)
• Large sand tray
• Sand
• Sand cutting/sculpting tools/miniatures
• Play therapy games (to address self-esteem issues, assist with emotional regulation, facilitate group social interaction etc.)
• Resource Materials
• Incentives (make-up, hair accessories, nail polish, small notebooks, candy, etc.)
• Celebration ceremony gifts (usually something commemorative with an anchor to remind them of their journey)

We are honored to have the opportunity to work with these special young women, and to watch them break free from the bondage of their past. We are excited to see all of the growth and positive changes that our participants have made and are blessed to witness them beginning to believe that they have self-worth, and that there is still hope for them to have a bright future.

On behalf of the staff and participants of the program, we thank you for your support of Project Anchor. 

Links:

• Fair Haven Center for Women