The is supported in part by the United Ways of Hall, Lumpkin, Dawson, Forsyth, White, and Habersham Counties. 
| When Rosa finally got the courage to tell her mother the circumstances surrounding her becoming pregnant, her stepfather fled and Rosa's mother became furious with her, blaming her for "stealing her man" and "running him off." Rosa came to us shortly after she had had her baby which she never saw or held--the baby was taken away from her immediately after delivery. Abandoned, bereft, and confused, Rosa began treatment. Rosa's stepfather's treatment had begun so early that Rosa did not even completely understand that the way he treated her was wrong. Just as her mother blamed her, she blamed herself for what had happened. Through the course of treatment, Rosa came to understand that what had happened was not her fault, that her body belonged to her and that she had a right to say no. She dealt with the grief she felt over having lost a baby that she loved but was not ready to care for. She began to develop healthy relationships with the new adults in her life as well as with the kids at her school. Today, as she confidently walks into the offices of the Children's Center for Hope & Healing smiling, she chatters about the things that go on in middle school the way that any of her peers would. The staff loves to see her. She's a child who has managed to recapture some of her childhood. She is doing well and is active in several school activities.
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What started as online flirting, eventually became online solicitiation of sex, often from girls younger than he was to whom his advances were very unwelcome. Eventually, some of the middle school girls he had contacted complained to the principal and Billy was arrested. His successful completion of Project Pathfinder was a condition of his parole. When he came to Project Pathfinder, he was addicted to online pornography and he somehow thought that his behavior was little more than a prank. Through his work in Project Pathfinder, he came to understand the seriousness of the acts he had engaged in. He learned to take responsibility for his actions and, by working on his empathy skills and respect for women and girls, he grew to understand the damaging effects of his unwelcome and inappropriate online contact with girls. At Billy's graduation from Pathfinder, he expressed heartfelt, sincere remorse and regret about his actions. Though he had come to Pathfinder as a condition of his probation, he had become grateful for the Program and he recognized that had he not come to Pathfinder, he probably would have had a lifetime of problems and sexual addictions. Today, Billy is college-bound, back on the sports fields, but he has a whole new attitude about girls, sex, and computers. |
When Stephanie came to the Children's Center for Hope & Healing, she was very withdrawn and quiet. She was having a lot of nightmares. Perhaps because she was afraid of getting her big brother in trouble or perhaps because she was so young that she didn't have good words to use to describe what had happened, Stephanie was unable to talk about what happened for several weeks. Finally, her therapist asked her if she could draw a picture of what had happened. Stephanie drew a picture of two people in her one twin bed. The therapist asked her to tell her about the picture. It was at that point that Stephanie was finally able to talk about what had happened. Stephanie is now well on the way to recovery. Playing dress up with one of the therapists the other day she said, "I'm the pretty princess who comes to see you, aren't I?" She is coming out of her shell, she has fewer nightmares and she is feeling great about herself! |
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In 2007, nearly 800 people received services from the Children's Center for Hope & Healing.
Our Successes
Our services are not time-limited. We do not require our clients to complete treatment in a pre-determined number of weeks or sessions. Frequently, we work with our clients long-term, ensuring that they are able to meet their goals and receive the help that they need.
As the children who come to our programs progress over time, we see healing, the reduction in trauma symptoms, and the restoration of childhood. Following are three stories of children we have worked with. Their names have been changed to protect their identities.
