Care Center offers services those in need of mental health and other forms of care
Submitted
At the Care Center, Inc. in Washington and Green counties, Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services, Inc. (SPHS) helps clients with a number of difficult-to-navigate problems.
The center offers assistance and treatment for substance abuse, mental health, crisis intervention and sexual assault.
“The need is larger than the staffing patterns or available resources,” said Lisa Cicci, communications director at SPHS. “We are building relationships and creating systems for all kinds of levels of care every day.”
The center’s sexual assault services, for example, include counseling, support, and resources for victims of sexual assault.
“We offer counseling to help individuals process their feelings and make plans to heal and move forward. Many of our survivors have lived many years thinking they did something wrong. We’re here to support you whether it happened three days ago or 30 years ago,” said Joanna Dragan, supervisor of the department.
Often, victims of sexual assault or abuse have a lot of questions.
“Should they file a protective order? Should they file charges? These are decisions only the victim can make but we can walk alongside them and talk about the process, so they have all of the information” Dragan said.
The court system is often overwhelming and having an experienced advocate can make a big difference.
“For example, in Pennsylvania, we have the option of anonymous reporting. One of the options for a victim is to have a (sexual assault) kit collected that will go to law enforcement but only a number is assigned to the kit,” Dragan said.
In addition to working with victims, there’s also a prevention side of the program.
“We provide prevention curriculum to local school districts, including colleges and universities. There’s also information regarding elder abuse, so we’re trying to reach every segment of the population,” Dragan said.
The subject of abuse often comes with stigma and fear; however, the sexual assault services division at the Care Center hopes to alleviate that through outreach within the community.
Dragan knows many don’t want to think about the subject of sexual assault or abuse, but if needed, they are there and ready to help.
“We accept donations at sttars.sphs.org, but most importantly, we want to keep sharing our 24-hour hotline. It’s confidential and we want to keep putting that number out there. In the event you need it, you know where to find it,” Dragan said.
One of the advantages of being part of a large agency, according to Cicci, is the connections and resources they have available.
“Our entire agency is a trauma-informed team. Everyone is trained from the clerical staff to the drivers, and whoever you interact with will have some ability to find the resources you need,” Cicci said.
The confidential 24-hour Sexual Assault Hotline is 1-800-656-4673. For more information, visit https://sttars.sphs.org/.
For information on The Care Center and their other services providing treatment for substance abuse and crisis intervention, visit https://www.sphs.org/the-care-center.html.