The Safe Center, located in Bethpage, NY, today announced it will expand its services with the additional of a new licensed mental health clinic to further assist victims and survivors of interpersonal violence including domestic violence, child sexual and severe physical abuse, rape and sexual assault, and human trafficking.

This project is an expansion of The Safe Center’s prior grant-funded services, allowing the agency to serve the increased demand for trauma-informed mental health services. The expansion will include the addition of an on-staff, licensed psychiatrist, the first time The Safe Center has offered these services. 

“This is a natural evolution of our work and services and is essential to helping victims and survivors get the support and healing they need. With the shifting service landscape on Long Island, it is critical that The Safe Center expands its capacity to serve victims and survivors.” said Joshua Hanson, Executive Director of The Safe Center.  “Untreated and undertreated trauma only gets worse, and symptoms generalize and can worsen over time including avoidance, depression, anxiety, and disruptive behaviors in some cases.” 

Studies now show a causal link between trauma exposure and adverse health and mental health outcomes, including substance use, mental health issues, and an increased likelihood for chronic illness. For those with the most severe exposure to childhood trauma, there is a 25% reduction in life expectancy. 

The Safe Center’s clinical programs are currently operating at capacity, and receive more referrals than they can serve. This complicates the process of triaging high-need victims and survivors of interpersonal violence. The reverberations of the pandemic continue, with the Long Island-wide referral network straining under an increased demand and a reduction in trauma-informed service providers. 

This new clinic will create a reliable direct referral network that will:

• Expedite the deployment of services to a client by creating a more efficient assessment process and removing barriers to care
• Provide greater flexibility to provide both long-term and short-term care
• Reach people who might not realize there is specialized trauma support in our community or are reluctant to take advantage of a free (to clients) service they feel others might need more
• Provide services based on need rather than a first come first serve basis

About The Safe Center

The Safe Center, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, is the leading victim service organization in Nassau County, providing comprehensive and trauma-informed services for victims of interpersonal violence including domestic violence, child sexual and severe physical abuse, rape and sexual assault, and human trafficking. In 2014, The Safe Center was created by the merger of the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence (founded in 1978) and the Coalition Against Child Abuse & Neglect (founded in 1979). This merger created a highly integrated service model to empower victims of interpersonal violence to recover from their abuse. The Safe Center operates a 24-hour Hotline (516-542-0404) providing crisis intervention, access to services, and information and support. Visit https://www.tscli.org for more information. Follow The Safe Center on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.