Appalachian Childrens Center Inc

The Appalachian Children's Center (ACC) is a child advocacy center dedicated to the safety of all children and reducing the trauma of child abuse victims and their families. The ACC provides intervention, treatment, and prevention services to male and female children ages 3-17, their siblings and caregivers. The ACC is a specialized treatment center working with children who have experienced the trauma of abuse, neglect or other maltreatment. 

The goal of the Appalachian Children's Center is to lift and empower individuals in our community by providing immediate support and assistance to child victims and their families. We do this by facilitating a collaborative approach to dealing with childhood trauma, including coordination of multidisciplinary teams, advocacy and support, and help with resources. 

The ACC was established in 2001. We are a member of the Child Advocacy Centers of Georgia and accredited through the National Children's Center. Annually, the Appalachian Children's Center serves over 400 children, siblings and families. We provide crisis intervention, therapy, advocacy, parent education and specialized training, and community education. 

The ACC believes in providing the best and most appropriate services to the children and families we serve. We utilize the latest in evidenced-based therapy and parent education for our programs. Some of the services we provide are as follows: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Alternatives for Families (AF-CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and more. 

Our motto is Empower, Cultivate and Ignite!

At the Appalachian Children's Center, we want to Empower children. We believe children. We believe in giving children a voice - in a safe, neutral environment - so that they may tell their story. We want to Cultivate growth and development. We believe in helping children and families understand how their thoughts, feelings and behaviors have been shaped by their trauma. And finally, we want to Ignite change. Our greatest hope is to be able to partner with our families in a way to ignite change - in their lives, their circle and in their workplace. Ultimately, we want to ignite change in the community that creates a legacy for our children.

Since 2006, we have been in a small, 1680 square foot house that we have long since outgrew. We are currently trying to purchase and renovate a 4200 square foot building for $600,000. This will allow us more space for the programs and services we provide, including more therapists, advocates and parent training experts. Some of the costs to run these programs using best practices and the appropriate curriculum are as follows: 1 trained, licensed therapist ($60,000 - $80,000); 1 trained advocate ($40,000 - $55,000); evidenced-based training for therapists – EMDR ($1500 then 1 year of supervision); Parent Training Curriculum ($2600 per module per trainer (6 modules)); TF-CBT ($1000, training, travel, year of supervision); CSEC (commercial sexual exploitation of children) training.

More space will allow the ACC to expand services, add more staff and provide needed resources. We need additional therapy rooms, parent training areas, yoga spaces (children with trauma benefit greatly), and a space for SMART Equipment for children who have attachment or sensory issues (https://smartmovespartners.com/smart-therapy-approach/). Younger children and older children have vastly different needs, so we want to ensure both have more space of their own. Our gap analysis shows that we need to offer more training to parents/caregivers, additional therapies that are tailored to specific traumas, at least 2 more therapists, 2 more advocates and we need to have at least one staff member in the community handling training and education as well as someone in the school system. 

Our current location has served the purpose for which we were established. We believe that by expanding our building footprint, we will be able to offer children and families a variety of services that will be tailored to their specific needs. 

Will you help us reach our goals? What will be your legacy?