The Life Skills Counseling for Recovery from Child Abuse Program https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/proposals-2012/the-life-skills-counseling-for-recovery-from-child-abuse-program https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/@@site-logo/sitelogo-75x75.png

The Life Skills Counseling for Recovery from Child Abuse Program

Additional Information
Used for	The Fentress County Children’s Center is respectfully requesting a gift to partially fund our Child and Family Counseling Program which assists children ages two to eighteen who are child abuse victims and have experienced trauma. The program specializes in providing the environment necessary to promote healing from the trauma our children experienced during their abuse and to promote learning through specialized educational practices. Our program provides individual, family, and group counseling by mental health professionals trained to work with traumatized children.
Benefits	The children learn to overcome the anger they have as a result of their abuse and to become empowered to accomplish positive goals in their lives. The community is impacted because delinquent behavior, that would have threatened the community’s safety, will be prevented. Outcomes for the counseling program are as follows: 85% of the children have reduced the frequency and/or intensity of abuse-related symptoms, 85% of the children have increased their feelings of safety and empowerment, and 85% of the non-offending parents have increased their feelings of empowerment and decreased feelings of guilt.
Proposal Description	The mission of the Fentress County Children’s Center (FCCC) is to provide a place of comfort and safety for children who have been abused, to equip children and parents with the tools necessary to heal from devastating trauma, and to prevent child abuse in our community. The Fentress County Children's Center was established in 2004 as a satellite of Children's Center of the Cumberlands in Scott County. FCCC became incorporated separately in the State of Tennessee on December 12, 2005 and became its' own 501(c)(3) non-profit agency on February 27, 2006. The FCCC is licensed by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities as a Mental Health Out-Patient Facility, and is an associate member of the National Children's Alliance. Fentress County is located in one of the most isolated areas of the Appalachian Mountains and it is one of Tennessee’s most underserved counties. It is fifty miles from the closest city, which is Cookeville, Tennessee. The lack of available services and resources for residents has led to poor, unhealthy, and dangerous situations. Residents have no place to turn for help with child abuse, anger management, financial stress, and poor health, and are forced to deal with these issues on their own. These conditions frequently lead to child abuse, which is prevalent in Fentress County. Families in Fentress County face unfavorable living conditions when compared to state and national levels. According to the 2010 American Community Survey, 25% of the population in Fentress County has income below the poverty level and only 45% of the population is a high school graduate. The unemployment rate in August, 2012 was 9.4%. Also, in 2010, 65% of children were on the free/reduced-price school lunch program. Again this year, Fentress County has a low score on the rating scale in the 2012 County Profile Health Rankings (http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/tennessee), a health report which combines various aspects of population health, including environmental and socioeconomic issues, for each county in the United States of America. Fentress County scored 90 out of 95 Tennessee counties. In 2011, Fentress County scored 93 out of 95 Tennessee counties. The Fentress County Children’s Center is the only licensed mental health counseling service in Fentress County that specializes in services for children. Each year, approximately 1,200 child abuse cases are reported in Fentress County. The Fentress County Children’s Center is working each day to make our community a safer, better place to live for our children and families. We are respectfully requesting that the Dudley E. Dougherty Foundation consider a gift to partially support the Fentress County Children’s Center in our efforts to help children heal from abuse and prevent future child abuse through the Child and Family Counseling Program. The Child and Family Counseling Program involves innovative counseling techniques, including (1) providing an ocean-themed room that is specifically designed to promote a calm and relaxed atmosphere; (2) using games, arts, crafts, and diverse toys to promote the healing and learning process; and (3) providing cultural experiences to bring hope to our client's lives in an otherwise hopeless situation. The goals of the program are to help children turn the anger resulting from their abuse into a positive force for accomplishing personal goals, to help the children feel safe, to identify and reduce predictors of juvenile delinquency, and to prevent future victimization. At the initial therapy meeting, the counselor learns what is of most interest to each child, which reflects his or her background, culture, gender, and experiences. The counselor develops the therapy plan to include those interests or hobbies – purchasing special supplies if they are not available in the current stock. In addition to individual and group therapy, the treatment plan also provides personal safety classes, hygiene, wellness, academic tutoring, and recreational activities. Non-offending parents are also included in the counseling program. If the child is not able to come to the center for therapy, the FCCC collaborates with the school system to schedule counseling for the child during the school day. As a result of the counseling program, children learn to maximize their strengths and to overcome weaknesses caused by the trauma they suffered during the abuse. The initial interview of the child is conducted by our forensic interviewer in a neutral environment. In fact, the interview room is almost bare, containing only a table and chairs, recording devices, paper and pen to take notes, and an easel and markers for children to draw what happened to them. The room has no pictures or other distractions – nothing that could influence the children’s testimony. Anatomically correct dolls are packed away until needed. After the child explains what happened, the appropriate dolls are brought out to fit the scenario that the child has described. The interviewer explains that these dolls are not toys, but tools to tell what happened. She says something like, “This man doll represents Uncle X and this girl doll represents you. Show me what happened.” The dolls are anatomically correct for both genders and various ages (elderly, middle aged, teenaged, pre-pubescent, and infant). The project’s effectiveness will be evaluated through FCCC’s established evaluation procedure. Outcomes related to this program will be measured through the following forms: Client Satisfaction Survey, Children’s Self-Report, Parents’ Self-Report, and Follow-up Survey. The Executive Director will analyze the survey results monthly and present status reports to our Board of Directors and funders. The collected data will be managed in a manner to ensure protection of our clients’ rights to privacy and confidentiality. In addition, the counselor monitors the individualized treatment plan that is developed at the beginning of therapy and whether goals are met.