The mission of the Center is to provide support to families in preventing and dealing with child abuse in West Tennessee and to help both parents and children meet the practical needs of preserving and improving the quality of family life.
Services Offered
Child Advocacy Center Services These services are designed to assist in reviewing the victimization and trauma inflicted on the children to determine what services are necessary to help in the healing process.
Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy TF-CBT addresses the negative effects of sexual abuse and other traumatic events by integrating several therapeutic approaches and treating both child and parent in a comprehensive manner.
Victim Advocacy Services Victim advocacy provides support and case management services to children who have been physically and/or sexually abused. These services include information and referral, filing victim's compensation, court preparation, etc.
Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy TF-CBT addresses the negative effects of sexual abuse and other traumatic events by integrating several therapeutic approaches and treating both child and parent in a comprehensive manner.
Therapeutic Visitation The therapeutic visitation program is designed to provide an opportunity to strengthen the family unit through implementation and evaluation of parenting skills. Stewards of Children The Stewards of Children program teaches adults how to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. The program is designed for individuals concerned about the safety of children as well as organizations that serve youth.
Nurturing Parenting The Nurturing Parenting Program is an evidence-based child abuse prevention program that assesses parenting and child rearing beliefs. The program is designed to increase the nurturing skills of participants as well as assess high-risk, abusive parenting attitudes and behaviors. Forever Parents This program is an information-based parenting and group interaction program designed for parents going through a divorce who have children under the age of eighteen years.
Kids on the Block Kids on the Block are used to educate children about child abuse prevention through the entertaining and non-threatening art of puppetry.
Non-Offending Caregiver Support Group This program was established to assist families in the recovery from physical and sexual abuse traumas. Following a disclosure of sexual abuse, a parent's response to his or her child can be considered one of the most important factors influencing a child's recovery and healing process.
A community counseling agency is a group therapy practice that offers affordable mental health services. Most are independent non-profit agencies, state agencies, or publicly-funded agencies. A few may restrict who is eligible for services, so it is a good idea to check when you call.
Community counseling agencies are generally more affordable than other therapy providers, but how much more affordable they are will depend on whether you qualify for a discount or sliding scale fee (or if they accept your insurance). Many, but not all, have a policy that they won't turn away anyone due to inability to pay. You should ask about their fees when you first call.
Expect to talk to kind people who want to help you find the care you need. Most community agencies strive to connect you with a live person within 24 hours, if not immediately. If you're asked to hold or leave a message, don't give up; just leave a message and wait. You should hear back pretty quickly.
Most agencies try to set up an initial assessment appointment within a week (some do within 24 hours), though the waitlist to start therapy is usually longer—about a few weeks on average. If you're not eligible or if the agency is not right for you, it's usually still worth it to call or drop in, because staff are knowledgeable about local options and can often refer you to one.
