Safe Harbor, Inc., SC
Safe Harbor’s mission is to provide pathways for people impacted by domestic abuse to survive and thrive and to raise awareness of domestic abuse through community engagement and education. We provide wraparound services for survivors of domestic abuse and their children across the 4-county area of Anderson, Greenville, Oconee, and Pickens in Upstate South Carolina, offering a 24/7 Helpline, three 24/7 Emergency Shelters, housing assistance, case management, legal advocacy, domestic abuse education, support groups, and clinical therapy for adults and children. We also provide prevention education programming for middle and high school students and conducts outreach and domestic abuse education presentations throughout the Upstate community.
With this project, Safe Harbor is expanding our services to families with children by implementing a new Child and Family Therapy program to provide individual and dyadic therapy to children and parents exposed to domestic abuse alongside case management support. Safe Harbor Child and Family Therapists offer trauma-informed, clinical therapy services including Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), play therapy, and Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) to children exposed to domestic abuse and family therapy sessions with children and the non-abusive caregivers.
Goals of the project include:
– Improved Mental Health for Child Witnesses of Domestic Abuse: Children who participate in the program will experience improvement in their mental health, with reduced symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
– Enhanced Coping Skills: Children will develop and strengthen coping skills to better deal with the emotional and psychological effects of exposure to domestic abuse and other related traumas, promoting resilience in the face of adversity.
– Increased Communication Skills: The therapy program will lead to improved communication within families, fostering healthier relationships and reducing the likelihood of further abuse.
– Reduction in Behavioral Issues: Children exposed to domestic abuse often exhibit behavioral problems. The therapy program will help children learn to express their feelings in healthier ways, reducing the frequency of challenging behaviors.
– Strengthened Family Bonds: The therapy program will involve the non-abusive parents and children, contributing to the strengthening of family bonds. As the parent and child begin the process of healing after abuse, the program will assist them to build a new supportive and positive family environment.
– Increased Awareness and Prevention: Families will become more aware of the signs of domestic abuse and the impact of exposure to abuse on children. Families will learn preventive measures, helping to end the cycle of abuse for their family.
