Women In Action Step Up to Help "Stepped Care"

Women in Action is a philanthropic group of extraordinary & passionate women who have come together in support of the mission of the Crisis Center. During four educational luncheons each year, Women in Action members learn about tough issues facing our community and action steps that can be taken to help.

A $1,000 annual commitment is made by each Women in Action member. When combined, the Women in Action group has the opportunity to make an extraordinary impact on the Tampa Bay community.

At the October meeting, members had the opportunity to vote to fund a Crisis Center project. For 2013, the group voted to expand an innovative therapy program for children called "Stepped Care for Children After Trauma".

The Crisis Center has participated in a research study by the University of South Florida (USF) that introduces a unique approach to helping children, ages 3-7 years of age who have experienced serious trauma.  The study is in the final year and the initial results have been very promising.  So far, the study results showed that 83% of the children who completed treatment responded positively to the program.
 
The study is a trauma treatment program that uses trained counselors and a written program guide. The focus of the study is to teach parents how to help a child who has experienced serious trauma to feel safe again and reclaim his or her childhood.  The child's trauma can be the result of abuse, an accident, domestic violence, medical events, or other traumatic experiences.

The current research study has limited the number of clients based on their custody status.  Relatives who have custody of children removed from their parents due to abuse or neglect cannot participate in the study.  This is huge and dramatically underserved population of children who have experienced severe trauma. 

The focus of the Women in Action funding will be on the hundreds of children  

placed with relatives in the last six months.  Over 45 families could benefit from  

the services the funds provide.  Stepped Care has helped over 40 families since it began over two years ago.  The funding from Women in Action could double the families helped and reach an underserved population that needs this service.  

Now is a great time to join this elite and influential group of women as we prepare to impact Tampa Bay in 2014! For more information , visit the Women in Action page on the Center website or contact Jennifer Moore at jmoore@crisiscenter.com