Interfaith Counseling Center

Interfaith Counseling Center, Inc.
225 Chapman Street Suite 303
Providence, Rhode Island 02905

Interfaith Counseling Center is a Rhode Island based, non-profit 501 c 3 organization, established in 1973 and dedicated to the concept of mental health counseling that is sensitive to the spiritual, faith and meaning questions which lie at the heart of modern living.  The Center provides services at its main office (as well as at an additional office) in Providence, and at satellite locations in Bristol and Newport.  We also provide on-site services, such as group counseling at Advent House apartments in Providence and Project Outreach on Broad St. in Providence.
Interfaith is committed to making its services available to all Rhode Islanders of both limited and privileged means.  In order to honor the mandate to serve persons with little or no income (half our clients are low-income), we provide services on a sliding scale and utilize funds from the Community Care program, supported by clergy and congregations throughout the State.

We are also committed to serving a diverse community, and have provided counseling care to well over thousands of individuals of different faith backgrounds. The Center does not subscribe to any one faith or religion. Agency Board members and staff represent Jewish, Christian, Islamic and Buddhist faiths. The Center also provides consultation to clergy and various faith congregations.

Our broad cross-section of clients represents all major ethnic groups (African American, Southeast Asian, Hispanic and Caucasian).  Our caseload includes single men and women who are heterosexual, gay and lesbian. We have also served the developmentally disabled. Clients range in age from 5 to 80 years old.

Thecenter’s executive director, Dr. Donald C. Anderson, is also the executive minister of the RI State Council of Churches. Dr. Anderson is a minister of the American Baptist Churches/USA, who earned a doctor of ministry degree from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Theological Seminary) in Philadelphia.  Dr. Anderson has been in pastoral ministry since 1974. He was previously the pastor of the First Baptist Church in East Greenwich, RI.

Dr. Anderson is committed to ecumenical dialog and is dedicated to social service issues as recognized in his pastoral leadership and participation in a variety of venues such as chair of the State Council of Churches’ Community Network,  Chaplaincy of the East Greenwich Police Department, member of the Attorney General’s Task Force to Improve End of Life Care, member of the Ministers’ Alliance of Rhode Island, secretary of the Rotary Club of East Greenwich, past chair of the East Greenwich Juvenile hearing Board, past chair of the Task Force for Elderly Issues in East Greenwich, and former member of the Permanent Commission on Child Care.
In total, Interfaith staff that will work on the proposed VOCA funded project consists of three (3) males and five (5) females, all Caucasian.  One is a marriage and family therapist with a Master of divinity degree. Another is a registered nurse with an MA in counseling (CAGS).  Two (2) other staff persons also have MA's in counseling (one is a LMHC).  One staffis a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with eleven (11) years' experience as a victims' assistant.  She is also trained in CISM and Child Centered Play Therapy (see appendices for resumes).  All current and proposed staff members are trained in diversity and cultural sensitivity.

Past staff members have included gays and lesbians.  Interfaith is an equal opportunity employer that strives to achieve diversity in its hiring.  Existing staff, who are all part time, will work additional hours on VOCA funded activities. 
The Center is affiliated with the Denver based Samaritan Institute of counseling centers.  The Institute affiliates comprise the largest providers of outpatient, faith based counseling in the United States.  It includes over 100 carefully selected and credentialed centers.  The Center is also a United Way member agency with considerable grants management experience.  Besides receiving United Way funds, the Center has managed grants from the Episcopal Charities Fund of Rhode Island, the Dexter Fund, as well as monies from the Community Care fund, which consists of contributions from religious denominations, congregations and individual supporters.

In implementing the proposed project, Interfaith Counseling Center will be hiring as a consultant Project Outreach, which will provide case management services to victim clients.  Established for over 22 years, Project Outreach is a non-profit 501 c 3 organization whose mission is community strengthening, through the provision of support services, life skills training and education to residents of low income neighborhoods.  Working through churches of various denominations, local resident volunteers, schools, colleges and other public service groups, this organization helps a large, low-income, multi-ethnic population in their struggle to maintain dignity in the face of poverty and high crime.  Its direct services to families include provision of food, clothing, rent and fuel assistance, health and life skills training, literacy and ESL instruction. Their current caseload comprises 600 families, who live in the Washington Park area of Providence and Cranston.  Most of these families are severely affected by crime victimization (see appendices for Project Outreach letter of support and involvement).

Finally, The Interfaith Counseling Center is currently in its fifth year of funding under VOCA.  Having started our program in December of 2002, we are already halfway though our goals under the current level of VOCA funding this year.  

 Problem Statement:

Interfaith Counseling Center's victims assistance project is designed to address the spiritual, emotional and practical needs of crime victims.  The project will focus on all types of crime victimization, with special outreach to male and female victims of familial violence within faith communities.  For the purposes of VOCA fund application, familial violence within faith communities is defined as violence taking place within families or relationships in which one or more members is a religious leader, lay person or faith congregant.  Such violence usually takes the form of domestic abuse, as well as child physical and sexual abuse.

The project's rationale is predicated on the knowledge that crime victims, in addition to suffering negative emotional and practical consequences, often experience spiritual disruption or distress related to crime victimization.  In serious cases, spiritual trauma can occur, which, if left unaddressed can prevent recovery from victimization. According to Pearlman (2001 Rosen Series Conference, Butler Hospital), disrupted spirituality is at the core of trauma stress.  Spirituality, in a broad sense, consists of four elements: meaning and hope, appreciation of the ephemeral or non-material aspects of life, awareness and openness, and transcendence.  When individuals are spiritually disrupted as a result of negative life events such as crime victimization,

- meaning and hope turn to disillusionment and cynicism - victims feel, "it's always going to be this way, there's no hope for change."

-non-materialism turns to exclusive concern with the tangible - victims come to believe only in what they can see and touch, and have no ability to be soothed.

-openness and awareness turn to narrow focusing and a loss of a sense of connectedness - victims no longer see the big picture and lose faith in the world around them.

-transcendence is replaced with a desire for revenge or identification with the aggressor

Trauma can disrupt identity and victims often blame themselves - i.e., "if I weren't gay, this would not have happened, " (Pearlman, 2001).

Spiritual trauma is an especially serious issue for victims of familial violence.  Victims experience not only psychological distress, but also the shattering of their trust as a result of this betrayal. In the broad aftermath, there is crisis in faith, as victims become preoccupied with personal safety, restrictive control over every aspect of their lives, and suspicion toward others.  Thus, they are left spiritually broken and disconnected from their faith communities. Just resolution calls for complete restoration of victims as believing persons.

The journey to recovery of one's sense of self, which includes one's spirituality, is long and tortuous. Experienced help is needed here from sources that understand the full ramifications involved in this type of victimization. Counseling, advocacy and support (both emotional and practical) need to come from a faith perspective.  Victims need to know that their spiritual trauma is understood and will be addressed in the healing process.

Victims also need a step by step process by which faith and trust can be restored.  The process must often begin with the establishment of a one on one therapeutic relationship with a skilled clinician.  Victims learn to open up, examine the impact of the crime, and their ways of coping with the losses associated with the trauma.  In addition to psychological counseling, pastoral care helps victims to articulate damage done to their spirituality (Liberty, 2002).Negative defenses are shed, and are replaced with healthier ways of coping and relating.

Having attained a trusting rapport in the one on one therapeutic relationship, trauma victims often need assistance in transitioning to independence.  Gains achieved during individual therapy - the ability to be open, to take risks, to trust - must be translated to outside relationships and the wider world.

Many victims need a safe milieu in which to test and practice their newfound skills.  Support groups offer a gentle step down from one on one therapy.  Participation helps victims transfer reliance on the therapist to reliance on the group.  Newly acquired ways of coping and relating are tested within the microcosmic world of the support group.  Victims gain confidence that they can successfully negotiate within the wider world, having acquired problem-solving skills shared and modeled by group members and having learned what constitutes healthy, supportive relationships.  Such confidence leads to openness, trust and restored faith on the part of victims.

In addition, case management services are needed to provide the practical support victims need to rebuild their lives, as victimization often reaps social and economic devastation.  With such services, victims can focus their outlook beyond mere survival.  Transcendence from victimization becomes possible in a tangible as well as spiritual sense. 

Use of community volunteers in the delivery of basic needs assistance (food, clothing, etc.) restores faith in the community, reinforcing the positive outlook and awareness developed in individual and group therapy.  Thus, Interfaith's project aims to address the totality of victim's minds and bodies, enabling fuller recovery from crime victimization.

Action Plan:

  GOAL: 55 victims will achieve more complete recovery by obtaining holistic services, which incorporate the often overlooked problem of faith crisis or spiritual trauma resulting from crime victimization.
           
Objective # 1.  To empower familial violence victims within faith communities through crisis intervention, clinical and pastoral counseling, information, advocacy, and practical support.

Objective # 2.  To provide a similar array of healing services to victims of other types of crime, who believe they would more fully benefit by a faith sensitive approach to victim services.

Objective # 4.  To offer to each victim client an average of 20 therapy or clinical service hours.

Objective # 5.  To implement two (2) clinician-run support groups of twelve (12) sessions each -one for men and one for women.  The group will address major areas of violence: Domestic violence, childhood physical abuse, or childhood sexual abuse. The groups will serve adult survivors of such crimes.

Methods:
Interfaith staff will provide crisis intervention, pastoral care, clinical counseling, and support services to client crime victims, their families and significant others. Support services will include the following:

Advocacy within legal and medical professions as well as the faith community. 

Intervention with employers, landlords, school officials, financial institutions and the courts on victims' behalf.
 
Information & referral to case management services.

Development of safety plans.

Implementation of the support groups to be held at a convenient location where members feel comfortable meeting.  Choice of locations would include Washington Park United Methodist Church in Providence, where Project Outreach client families gather to access services.

In order to assure comprehensive and competent assistance to victims, Interfaith will work in service delivery with a Project Outreach case manager.  The case manager will provide:

Crisis intervention

Basic Needs assistance referral

Advocacy within the faith community and the social service system. 

Court escort, assistance with the filing of restraining orders, police complaints, as well as complaints to DCYF and the Dept. of Elderly affairs abuse unit.

Referral to Interfaith staff of victims in need of clinical services
 

Project Outreach Volunteers will provide:

Basic needs assistance (i.e., food, clothing shelter and financial aid).

Interpreting and translation in English, Spanish and Portuguese

Outreach to victims in their communities.

Companionship and support 

 Interfaith staff, the Project Outreach case manager and volunteers will all assist clients in filing victim compensation claims to the treasurer's officeIn addition to working with Project Outreach,the Center will coordinate services with other agencies serving victims, such as the Sexual Assault and Trauma Center, the Coalition Against Domestic Violence, RI Justice Assistance, the Attorney General's Office, and community based victims assistance agencies.  

Interfaith's executive director will oversee the project and act as a liaison with Project Outreach, the clergy support network, and faith communities. He will also field crisis phone calls from victims making initial contact with the agency until they are referred to a counselor (counselors respond to victims within 24 hours of initial telephone intake).  Our clinical director will design the support groups, provide pastoral clinical consultation to staff who are working with victims. This consultation is important when client victims raise perplexing questions regarding faith that require pastoral consultation.  He will also provide crisis intervention and counseling services. All of these VOCA funded services will be provided at no charge to victims.

Outreach:

Victim services will be offered to males and females of all ages, faiths, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity groups. English, Spanish and Portuguese flyers, brochures and ads in community newspapers (including minority publications) and church bulletins will be used to make our services known. Letters informine about our program will be sent clergy and faith leaders throughout RI, and to legal counsel involved with criminal and civil litigation of clergy abuse cases. We will also communicate with law enforcement, social service agencies, shelters and domestic violence agencies throughout Rhode Island. In addition, Interfaith will post an accessible web site, enabling victims to learn of our services and contact us via email. Interfaith will also continue to receive referrals through its network of clergy supporters and through AEPPP.

Interfaith and AEPPP staff will meet with victims at its offices in Providence, Bristol, Newport and North Kingstown, RI. Offices provided by our clergy support network will be used to serve victims residing in other areas of the State. Home visits or meetings in barrier free locations will be provided for victims who are physically disabled.

Results and Benefit Evaluation:

The number of client victims served, as well as client feedback from consumer satisfaction surveys will measure project success (as work is ongoing with our current caseload of clients, victims satisfaction surveys are premature at the time of this proposal submission. Survey results will be included in our 3'd quarter report). The impact of counseling and support services will also be measured by pre and post testing of clients, using the Life Orientation Inventory scale provided by the Traumatic Stress Institute of South Windsor, CT. This scale is intended to measure changes over time in how persons view themselves in relation to various aspects of life, including spiritual life (pre-testing has begun). The benefit of this project is more complete and just resolution of client problems resulting from crime victimization through comprehensive services.

Program Management and Fiscal Controls:

VOCA funded services will be carefully documented in client case files. Data on the number of clients receiving VOCA services, as well as demographic information and types of victimization will be collected and presented in quarterly and annual reports to the Justice Commission. Interfaith Counseling Center adheres strictly to all recognized standards regarding client confidentiality, and will protect client information in accordance with the policies outlined in the VOCA grant application package.

The Center, in keeping with professionally accepted accounting practices for nonprofits, will maintain records of VOCA receipts and disbursements. Records verifying firnds disbursements will include vouchers, invoices, time sheets, attendance sheets and client files. Included will be verification of any and all financial and in-kind match services. VOCA funds and VOCA designated matching funds and resources will be kept separate from funds and resources utilized for other programs.

Civil Rights Assurances:

The Center will serve persons of all races, colors, religions, faiths, genders (including gender identification), sexual orientations, ages, and handicaps. We assure compliance with all nondiscrimination requirements pertaining to the hiring of staff and board members and service delivery to clients. In the event of a finding of discrimination, the Center will forward a copy of the finding to the U.S. Office of Civil Rights compliance. Mr. Michael Evora, of the Human Rights Commission, will have the lead responsibility for insuring that all applicable civil rights requirements are met .

For More Information Contact:

Dr. Donald C. Anderson, Executive Director
Interfaith Counseling Center, Inc.
225 Chapman Street Suite 303
Providence, Rhode Island 02905
Telephone: (401) 461-5558
E-mail: ricouncil1@aol.com