FACTS &
FIGURES
The Childhelp National
Child Abuse Hotline
Founded in
1982
PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: CHILDHELP ADVOCACY CENTERS
At any given time, our Childhelp Advocacy Centers across the country are host to an incredible variety of families
facing enormous challenges.
It was clear to all involved that Tommy’s mother loved him deeply. However,
she struggled to put into action the new skills she was building with Childhelp —
skills that were absolutely crucial to fully expressing her love for Tommy.
We know that when a child is hurting, a family is hurting. So if a child needs
healing, it’s a safe bet that the family needs healing, too.
Take the Smith* family, for example….
Operates
24 hours a day,
7 days a week
Has handled more than
2 million calls
to date
Two years ago, the family’s youngest son Tommy* experienced a trauma so powerful
that it shook the entire family to its core. As a part of our comprehensive approach
to healing after an incident of abuse, the Smiths immediately engaged in therapy
sessions at their local Childhelp Advocacy Center.
Tommy and his family made significant progress in their sessions. Unfortunately,
there were still troubling signs that Tommy’s traumatic experience continued to
impact the Smith family.
During ongoing family therapy sessions, our Childhelp therapist noted that Tommy’s
mother seemed to have difficulty meeting his need for positive affection — a critical
part of the healing process as they worked to rebuild the child-parent bond.
While the importance of positive affection had been explored with both parents
in multiple counseling sessions, Tommy’s mom seemed unable to translate this
information into real-life interactions with her child.
So, at the recommendation of their family therapist, Tommy’s mom began attending
our Childhelp TIPS group.
TIPS — short for Trauma-Informed Parenting Strategies — is a free psycho-education
group that parents and guardians can attend while their children are participating
in individual therapy. TIPS brings together caregivers in a group setting in order to
learn effective strategies for parenting a traumatized child.
During one of these TIPS meetings, something finally clicked for Tommy’s mom.
For the first time, she recognized and independently volunteered her understanding
of Tommy’s need for more positive attention. From there, with guidance from their
Childhelp family therapist, she was able to implement authentic ways to give Tommy
more of the positive attention he craved. This shift in behavior has significantly
improved their relationship and is helping the Smith family move toward full
resolution of their trauma and healthier lives.
*Names changed to protect privacy
100,000
nationwide calls
More than
received so far in 2016
Thanks to support from donors like you, Childhelp Advocacy Centers provide “one-stop”
facilities that support a multidisciplinary response to cases of child abuse and neglect.
CHILDHELP CHILDREN’S CENTER OF ARIZONA
CHILDHELP CHILDREN’S CENTER OF EAST TENNESSEE
CHILDHELP MOBILE ADVOCACY CENTER OF NORTHERN ARIZONA
Cheerful colors, teddy bears, toys and child-friendly paintings line the walls of the
fully accredited Childhelp Children’s Center of Arizona, enhancing each child’s sense
of safety and well-being. The goal is to provide medical treatment, mental health
therapy, efficient investigational resources, and victim support services to address
the immediate safety and complete well-being of children referred to the center.
The fully accredited Childhelp Children’s Center of East Tennessee serves vic tims
of child abuse and neglect through advocacy, treatment and investigation services.
As the only child advocacy center for Knox County and some surrounding areas, the
center features walls adorned with bright colored murals, a playroom filled with
toys, and therapy services to help victims develop a sense of safety and hope.
Established in partnership with Flagstaff Medical Center, the Childhelp Mobile
Advocacy Center of Northern Arizona combines specialized multidisciplinary services
and state-of-the-art telemedicine technology in a 38-foot specially outfitted motor
home so we can provide crisis intervention, forensic interviews and referrals for the
area’s abused and neglected children and their families.
Can provide assistance
in
When a child is hurting, a family is hurting.
So if a child needs healing, it’s a safe bet the
family needs healing, too.
170+ languages
1-800-4-A-CHILD
(1-800-422-4453)
$5 donation
For every
we
receive, another call can be taken!
(Photo by Wade Lengele)