Hope's Place in Ashland will sponsor the 11th annual Chocolate Extravaganza at Ashland Towne Center Mall from 10:00 am -2:00 pm on April 4, 2009. There will be a run/walk for child abuse awareness earlier in the day, and a balloon release at the mall at the end of the Chocolate Extravaganza. For more information contact Pam Huwieler at pam@hopesplace.org or by phone at (866) 325-4737.

Hope's Place is dedicated to serving child victims of sexual abuse and adult victims of sexual assault. Our ultimate goal is to prevent sexual abuse or sexual assault from occurring in our community and our society.

Who utilizes these services?

-Any child victim of acute sexual assault or chronic sexual abuse
-Any adult victim of a sexual crime

Hope's Place provides a safe, client friendly environment to victims and their families for all aspects of sexual crimes including initial evidence collection, counseling, and court preparation. The Center serves Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Greenup, and Lawrence Counties, while also offering resources to surrounding counties including Ohio and West Virginia.

Therapy/Counseling

Children are evaluated based on the age and developmental level and offered the following services: mental health screenings, comprehensive mental health assessments, short-term stabilization and therapeutic support, individual counseling and play therapy, non-offending parent support and therapy.
Medical

Children referred by Community Based Services and Law Enforcement will receive a complete medical evaluation by a physician who has received specialized training regarding current techniques, procedures, and diagnoses of child abuse trauma.

Mental Health Screening

Prior to having a medical exam, children are seen by a mental health professional for the purpose of determining the need of on-going therapy.

Forensic Interview

KRS 431.600: To the extent practicable and when in the best interest of a child alleged to have been abused, interviews with a child shall be conducted at a children's advocacy center.

It is the goal of Hope's Place to reduce the trauma of child victims by providing a safe, child-friendly environment for children during the interview process. A special room has been designed that will allow representatives of agencies involved in your child's case (i.e. Cabinet for Health and Family Services/Community Based Services, Prosecutor and Law Enforcement) access to the interview, thus, reducing the numbers of interviews of your child. The interview of your child may be audio and/or video taped by the forensic interviewer. This information is confidential and will be used to further the investigation of your child's case.

Court Advocacy

When cases go to court, Hope's Place will provide a staff member or volunteer who will accompany clients to the courtroom. In addition to advocacy, educational materials and sessions are provided to educate children and families on the legal system and what can be expected during the process.