Child Advocacy Centers are facilities that operate a comprehensive child and youth focused program for children who have been abused or neglected or are involved in the legal system in some other way. Law enforcement officers, prosecutors, mental health professionals, educators, and social service providers all work together in a child-friendly atmosphere to address a child's needs.

The Sisters of St. Joseph Health and Wellness Foundation has provided funding for the following child advocacy centers:

Monongalia County Child Advocacy Center

Marion County Child Advocacy Center

Just for Kids, Inc.

Harmony House Children's Advocacy Center

Safe Haven CAC

Child & Youth Advocacy Center

Preston County Caring Council FRN

REAACHH-Family Resource Center

Wetzel-Tyler Child Advocacy Center

West Virginia Child Advocacy Network

Comfort House Child Advocacy Center

Logan County Child Advocacy Center

SARAH's House Child Advocacy Center

Randolph/Tucker Child Advocacy Center

Child Protect of Mercer County Child Advocacy Center

WEBSITE: 
www.wvcan.org

THANK YOU:

Thanks to generous support from the Sisters of Saint Joseph’s Health and Wellness Foundation, WVCAN has been able to offer training to mental health professionals and multidisciplinary team members working with CACs in West Virginia.

• Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) Training was held April 19-20, 2012. This training model developed by Cohen, Mannarino, and Deblinger is used by therapists working with children aged 3-18 who are experiencing significant emotional and behavioral difficulties related to traumatic life events and encouraging clients to use flexibility and creativity in processing their story.  The training was attended by over 50 therapists from across the state.

• An Advanced TF-CBT Booster session was held April 20 for therapists who have been working with the TF-CBT model over the last year. Approximately 30 therapists participated in the booster training.

• Advanced Team Training was held May 9-10 and was attended by 8 teams from accredited CACs. The training focused on assisting multidisciplinary team members (Law Enforcement, Mental Health, Medical, Victim Advocates, Prosecution, Child Protective Services) in dealing with vicarious trauma as well as how to strengthen their overall team functioning when working with these traumatic incidents.