Our Story

Every year since 1976, Reach works with over 500 abuse victims (and their families) to heal lives and hold perpetrators accountable through innovative programs in education and outreach, victim advocacy, outpatient therapy, counseling and sex offender treatment. Dee is a 13 year old girl who was referred to Reach Counseling this past year when she was hospitalized for suicidal ideation after her mother discovered she was being sexually assaulted by a 26 year old man. He was clearly aware of her age, and that having sex with her was illegal, but manipulated her into a relationship with him. After reporting the sexual assaults (which led to his arrest) Dee and her mother experienced significant harassment from this man’s family and friends over a period of several months. She was struggling with many symptoms: feeling afraid, nervous, and lonely, stressed by day-to-day responsibilities, blaming herself for things, being concerned about family troubles, having nightmares/flashbacks, difficulty concentrating, intrusive memories, and feeling like something bad is going to happen. Dee spent about 9 months in counseling and is very different now. She returned to school, has many friends (she had few before), and is involved in extracurricular activities. She now feels safer and is able to begin moving on. This is only one example of what Reach does for abuse survivors.