Military Sexual Trauma
November 11 is Veterans Day, a day in which we honor the brave men and women who have served our country through military service. Every year, thousands of men and women across the country make the decision to join the military. There may be a multitude of reasons driving this decision. Many feel a calling […]
VSC as a Link of Support to Community Leaders
Victim Service Center (VSC) and other community agencies partnered to exchange valuable information focused in the assessment, support and tools dedicated to individuals of the community, involved in a crisis situation related to Domestic Violence (DV) or Sexual Violence (SV). The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) report of 2013, indicated 108,030 domestic violence incidents […]
17 Years of Healing
In 1996, the Board of County Commissioners agreed that a portion of the jails’ proceeds needed to be allocated to recovery services for crime survivors in the community and decided to allocate the funding from payphones in the jail to create a support agency. Commissioner Mary Johnson helped lead the charge for victims’ rights […]
A Former Client Gives Back
A Letter to the Victim Service Center August 2015 I am writing to express my sincerest gratitude to the Victim Service Center of Central Florida and most particularly, my Therapist, Theresa. I would be remiss if I did not take the time to say “Thank You!” Theresa proved to be God-sent to me during a […]
Serving First Responders
Written by: A VSC Victim Advocate The Victim Service Center operates the 24/7 Sexual Assault Crisis Hotline which not only serves victims, but also professionals in the community. Occasionally, we receive calls that require a Victim Advocate to provide services to both the victim and also first responders. Following a sexual assault, a victim may not […]
The Secondary Victim
Written by: David Sines, The Secondary Victim No one expects to receive a phone call like this… one that instantaneously turns your world completely upside down, chews it up, then spits it back out into a million pieces. For the rest of my life I will be able to pinpoint the exact location on the […]
Law Enforcement Responding to Sexual Assaults
Law Enforcement Responding to Sexual Assaults By: Sergeant Rich Mankewich, Major Case/Sex Crimes, Orange County Sheriff’s Office For years, law enforcement officers have never been fully trained to recognize and address the psychological and emotional trauma associated with a sexual assault. During initial interviews, victims often are inconsistent, not showing emotion and unable to provide detailed information […]
