About The Center
Helping Hands for Aching Hearts
Serving the eight towns of lower Fairfield County since 1979, The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis
Counseling and Education provides free, 24-hour confidential help to men, women and
children who have experienced sexual assault. We can be there from the time the victim enters
the emergency room, throughout making a police statement, preliminary court proceedings
to trial. We can also be with the victims as the healing takes place, delivering goal-oriented
counseling.
Learn more about why victims/survivors choose The Center when they need
help.
Additionally, The Center provides age-appropriate personal safety classes for children ages 4 – 18 to
reduce their risk of becoming a victim, and education/awareness programs for the
community at large.
The Center supports eight town/cities in Lower Fairfield County including: Darien,
Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Weston, Westport, and Wilton. And, all of
our services are available in English and Spanish.
Our Helping Hands
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The Board of Directors
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The Executive Director and Staff
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Top Row: Kabir Mody, Kate Urbank (Board Chair), Kathleen Warner, Jennifer Sheridan (Secretary)
Bottom Row: Elizabeth Tong, Lisa DeVingo(Chair, Advisory Board), Kevin Segalla.
Not Pictured: John Dos Reis (Treasurer), Gene Waggaman
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Cathy Malloy is the Executive Director, managing The Center since 2001. The staff is
comprised of adult and child advocates, a bilingual/bi-cultural counselor, community educators,
student interns and volunteers. The Center’s 24-hour hotline is
staffed by volunteers who have completed the 35-hour
sexual assault crisis worker-training program.
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Sponsors and Supporters: Extra Special in our Hearts
We extend special hearfelt thanks to our generous supporters and sponsors:
Why Choose The Center?
Confidentiality is Critical
At The Center, we understand how important confidentiality is to our clients. Being part of
the Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services (CONNSACS) coalition, we are protected
by CGS 52-146k, which ensures confidential communications between the victim/survivor
and their sexual assault counselor. We cannot disclose any information about a client
without that client's informed written consent. This serves to protect victims of sexual
assault in our communities and to help them to feel comfortable in coming forward to seek
assistance.
Counseling is Goal Oriented
Because The Center only provides short-term crisis counseling, we are fortunate to have
the opportunity to achieve dramatic results with clients in a relatively short period of time.
Our counselors help clients to set goals for their services at the beginning of their very first
session and stay focused on these goals throughout the remaining sessions. Many clients
report that they begin to see immediate results from their work with our counselors.
Care is Continuous
Victims of sexual assault don't want to keep having to retell their story to new individuals.
The Center is one source of stability that clients have throughout the process – we are the
only agency that is there from the time the client enters the emergency room, throughout
making a police statement, preliminary court proceedings to trial. We’re also with the
victims as the healing takes place. Having the support of the Center throughout, can
increase a client's well being during this process plus can encourage them to stay strong
and stick with it, when many survivors want to quit.
Certification is Required
All staff and volunteers who have direct client contact or access to any client records must
successfully complete an intensive 35-hours training program on topics related to sexual
assault and the requirements as outlined in Connecticut General Statute 52-146K. They
also must undergo significant re-certification training each year to retain their certification.
Our educators also must have a state-mandated Post Certification to provide training to
police.
The Center is Ready to Help
Our advocates are available 24-hours a day/7 days a week, to meet clients at the hospitals
and police stations to aid in the evidence collection examination, help making a police
statement, or talk to family members. We are available for support at court and judicial
proceedings. Our counselor's flexible schedules allow clients to schedule appointments
around their schedule. Clients don't have to come to our office, we will meet clients in the
community at a location that is convenient for them.
Helping Hand Reach Out Across Our Community
Don’t go it alone. We’re here. Contact The Center today.