Gender Equality United States Project #19084

Support rape victims ages 4 to 71 years old

Project Report | Nov 28, 2023
The Center provides over 6,000 services to 175 sexual trauma victims

By Melissa Place | Director of Grants & Compliance

Staff provided supportive services for a 15 year old female who was victim to sexual molestation as a 5 year old child perpetrated by her mother. The child did not disclose the sexual abuse until recently. This client has been referred to the Center through word of mouth. Client’s grandmother reports the young girl has been struggling with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Client has been hiding her trauma for years and is currently looking for help processing her emotions. There has been a lot of psychoeducation provided to the client in an attempt to help her normalize her trauma responses. The Center has provided the client with individual therapy, hotline support, advocacy, EMDR, and grounding techniques.
A Center Counselor met a client at the Emergency Room in the hospital. The client stated that he was sexually assaulted by a stranger he met on a dating app the night prior. The client said that he reported it to the police. The counselor explained all the Center's services, such as forensic exam, filing for an OVS claim, counseling, and therapy services, accompaniment, and the Center’s 24/7 hotline/webchat/text line. The counselor also discussed the possibility of PTSD and some grounding techniques that can be utilized should symptoms arise along with positive coping strategies. The counselor provided crisis intervention, counseling, and a safety plan. The counselor also provided a comfort kit.
The Center is currently providing therapeutic services for a client who experienced past sexual trauma 4 years ago when her husband was out of town on a work trip. The client stated she had been experiencing symptoms such as hypervigilance, nightmares, and flashbacks. The client has been consistently receiving therapy weekly now for about 6 weeks. During the sessions, therapist uses CBT and DBT through a trauma informed approach. The client has responded positively to these modalities. The therapist often conducts breathing techniques to ground the client during sessions. The client continues to respond positively to therapy and has stated that her weekly therapy sessions have been greatly beneficial to her healing and overall well-being.

The Center offers a comprehensive continuum of programs and services that are available in multiple languages to all victims, free of charge, regardless of age, citizenship, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, national origin, marital status, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. These services include, but are not limited to:

• Information and Referrals: information about the criminal justice process, information about victims’ rights, referrals to other victim service programs, and referrals to other services, supports, and resources;

• Advocacy and Accompaniment: victim advocacy/accompaniment to emergency medical care, victim advocacy/accompaniment forensic exams, law enforcement interview advocacy/accompaniment, individual advocacy, performance of medical forensic exam or interview, or medical evidence collection, immigration assistance, intervention with employer, creditor, landlord, or academic institution, childcare, transportation assistance, and translation/interpretation services;

• Emotional Support and Safety Services: crisis intervention, hotline/crisis line counseling, on-scene crisis response, individual counseling, support groups, therapy, and emergency financial assistance;

• Shelter and Housing Services: emergency shelter, transitional housing service, and relocation assistance; and

• Criminal and Civil Justice System Assistance: notification of criminal justice events, civil legal assistance in obtaining protection or restraining order, civil legal assistance with family law issues, immigration attorney assistance, prosecution interview advocacy/accompaniment, criminal advocacy/accompaniment, and other legal advice and/or counsel.

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Aug 2, 2023
The Center Provides Supportive Services to Child Sexual Assault Victims

By Melissa Place | Director of Grants & Compliance

A 15-year-old male who has been sexually assaulted by a close family relative for approximately 2 years. Client shared feeling like he was not able to report the incident due to fear of not being believed by his family. Client was referred to our agency from the local police station after client reported the abuse at school. Client is experiencing symptoms of PTSD, guilt, and confusion after he reported abuse. Efforts are placed on sharing client’s triggers and stressors with school counselor and providing client’s parents with information on sexual trauma and ways to provide youth with additional support.
A 15-year-old female that began receiving services due to surviving sexual trauma. Sessions have been focused on building rapport with the creative arts therapist. The creative arts therapist has been providing art directives geared towards allowing client to release any emotions the client has been suppressing. Client has been able to gradually manage trauma and cope with life stressors through art. Creative arts therapist and client have been discussing future goals for client that aims to promote healing, release and process traumas, while building client’s confidence.
An 8-year-old male with a history of sexual trauma. This client was exposed to sexual molestation from his biological father since he was an infant. The client’s mother was recently been made aware of the abuse and received a confession from the father. While the abuser is facing legal consequences for his actions their child recently started therapeutic services to assist in processing the trauma. Recently, client has started sand tray therapy, creative arts, and play therapy in order to process traumatic incident.

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Apr 4, 2023
200+ Sexual Assault Victims Assisted Through Individualized Supportive Services and Support Groups

By Melissa Place | Director of Grants & Compliance

The Center for Safety & Change, Inc. (“the Center”) is a nonprofit agency whose mission is to provide critical services and support to women and all victims and survivors of gender-based violence and other crimes while working toward justice by creating social change. The Center is the sole provider of services to domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and all other crime victims in Rockland County, NY—there are no other resources for victims in the county. The Center is the sole domestic violence residential and non-residential services certified by NYS Office of Children and Family Services in Rockland County, NY (“Rockland”) and is Rockland’s only NYS Office on Victim Services designated Victim Assistance Program. In addition, all of the Center’s staff are certified and trained by the NYS Department of Health, all staff and volunteers are certified rape crisis counselors, and the Center serves as Rockland’s only Rape Crisis Program and operates Rockland’s Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner services. Finally, within the last four years, the Center became the largest non-profit provider of immigration legal services in the county, and the largest provider of family law services specifically for victims in the county.

The Center offers a comprehensive continuum of programs and services that are available in multiple languages to all victims, free of charge, regardless of age, citizenship, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, national origin, marital status, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. These services include, but are not limited to:

• Information and Referrals: information about the criminal justice process, information about victims’ rights, referrals to other victim service programs, and referrals to other services, supports, and resources;

• Advocacy and Accompaniment: victim advocacy/accompaniment to emergency medical care, victim advocacy/accompaniment forensic exams, law enforcement interview advocacy/accompaniment, individual advocacy, performance of medical forensic exam or interview, or medical evidence collection, immigration assistance, intervention with employer, creditor, landlord, or academic institution, childcare, transportation assistance, and translation/interpretation services;

• Emotional Support and Safety Services: crisis intervention, hotline/crisis line counseling, on-scene crisis response, individual counseling, support groups, therapy, and emergency financial assistance;

• Shelter and Housing Services: emergency shelter, transitional housing service, and relocation assistance; and

• Criminal and Civil Justice System Assistance: notification of criminal justice events, civil legal assistance in obtaining protection or restraining order, civil legal assistance with family law issues, immigration attorney assistance, prosecution interview advocacy/accompaniment, criminal advocacy/accompaniment, and other legal advice and/or counsel.

Over the last three months, the Center provided 7,919 services to 228 victims in the sexual trauma program and conducted 8 sexual assault forensic exams.

Some of the victims and survivors the Center worked with this month include:

A 16-year-old child who is a victim of rape, which resulted in a pregnancy. She was in what she believed to be a relationship with a 23-year-old man. Once he found out about the pregnancy he tried to blindly take her in for an abortion and started verbally and mentally abusing her. Staff initially met with the client at her high school and have since met multiple times at both the high school and the Center's office. She has talked about the way she’s feeling with all the new changes coming her way. She has been practicing how to deal with and understand emotions, done safety planning, and talked about future goals and what can be done to achieve these goals. During our first meeting, she was very nervous and scared in regards to everything going on in her life. After a few weeks working together there has been a noticeable positive change in her attitude. She is working on creating a better future for herself and her child. In addition to emotional and mental supportive services, the Center has been able to provide necessities for the child such as a stroller, baby clothes etc. thanks to the donations we receive. The client has expressed how thankful she is for all the resources we’ve provided for her.
A 10 year old girl who was sexually abused by her step-grandfather. The child's parent shared that child has been having nightmares, does not like to be alone, and feels sad often. The client has been coming in for weekly sessions and has been opening up about her feelings about family. Therapeutic play and creative art interventions have been utilized during sessions to help her process trauma. The therapist has also been working with parent on providing her information and discussing ways to support her child.
An adult victim who had lived with her ex-boyfriend for two years. The client said that during that time, he verbally/physically/emotionally/sexually assaulted her. The client said that the last incident was the day before, when he sexually assaulted her, hit her in the head, and bit her. The client made a police report, and she was transported to the hospital, where she was met by the a Center advocate and a SAFE nurse. The client received complete evidence collection, prevention medications, and a comfort kit. The advocate provided information regarding the Center's 24/7hotline, OVS application, shelter, counseling, and therapy. The advocate provided crisis intervention, counseling, information and referrals, and safety planning.

In addition to providing individualized supportive services, the Center offers several support groups in various languages to help victims and survivors recover from the trauma they have endured. This reporting period, the Sexual Trauma Support Group for Adult Survivors continues to meet and serves as a safe space for survivors. Recent discussion topics in the group have included post-traumatic stress symptoms, boundaries, and advocating for oneself. Members in the group receive emotional support and provide support for their peers. At one meeting this month, a member expressed anxiety over going to the gynecologist for the first time since her assault. This member wondered if she was alone in her feelings, or if others had had similar experiences. Other members listened, validated, and normalized. The client was not alone.

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