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Thank you!

To our resilient community, When the worst tragedy occurred, you showed your steadfast support to aid those most in need. For that, we are eternally grateful. Our team was shocked and saddened by the senseless act of the Pulse shooting which took 49 lives, injured countless others, and destroyed our great community’s sense of peace […]

¿Qué es Trauma?

Written by: Lucy Silva-Machado, VSC’s Pulse Therapist La palabra trauma se deriva del griego y significa “herida”. El trauma es una “herida psicológica” que puede ser provocada por variadas situaciones. Usualmente, cuando oímos hablar de traumas lo asociamos a problemas originados por grandes desastres naturales o aquellos causados por el hombre, como guerras, accidentes, abusos, etc. […]

A Message of Gratitude

Written by: Holly Smith, VSC’s Lead Therapist and Expecting Mother Over the last 6 years with VSC, I have had the privilege of working with so many wonderful people.  Colleagues, clients, and community partners alike have all become a part of my family.  As I prepare myself for the next major journey in my life […]

Healing for the Nonprofit Community

Healing for the Nonprofit Community – A Conversation with Barry Kerzin, MD Written by: Brandi Godbee, VSC Victim Advocate On a warm summer morning, Rollins College’s Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership hosted “Healing for the Nonprofit Community – A Conversation with Barry Kerzin, MD”. Barry (as he prefers to be called) provides […]

Kathy’s Story

Every day, our team serves victims of  past childhood sexual abuse. Oftentimes, these individuals seek help many years after the assault, sometimes far into adulthood. Healing from a sexual assault is a very personal experience and is different for everyone. The process takes time and happens gradually. Here is Kathy’s story: “I am a survivor […]

Survivor Story: Emily’s Story

A true story that recently happened in our community: “Emily, a 20 year old living in Central Florida, was alone at a local laundromat finishing her laundry early one morning when suddenly a man with a gun appeared. Emily had been to this laundromat dozens of times before but had never thought her life could […]

“Inside Out” Healing

Spring Women’s Empowerment Workshop The Internal Family When I first saw the Disney movie: Inside Out, I was amazed.  The core principles of mental health, healing, and internal dialogue were perfectly captured!  With all the movies these days misrepresenting what therapy is and how healing occurs, I was pleasantly surprised to see these concepts displayed […]

Amanda’s Story

I am writing this letter in hopes of helping others like me have the resources available to them that I had. When I was a child, I felt I lived on a different plane than other children. My hazy existence was brought on by my abusive father, who regularly forced his ideals of what a “special” father-daughter relationship should be. I […]

Jenny’s Story

  Dear Friend, With 1 in 4 women and 1 in 33 men experiencing sexual violence, we need your help now more than ever. Last year, because of the support of individuals like you, our trauma-informed care team responded to 1,513 crisis calls through our 24/7 hotline, collected DNA evidence for 274 victims of sexual […]

Tips for Enjoying the Holidays

Written by: Chelsea Mandes, VSC Victim Advocate Intern With holiday gatherings right around the corner, many people may find that their expectations for a good time as well as their anxiety regarding the people, places, and topics that may or may not present themselves can seemingly cripple a person’s ability to enjoy what are supposed […]