The Children's Center for Hope and Healing is a non-profit organization serving victims of child sexual abuse.  The statistics are staggering at how many children are victims of this type of abuse. ... Learn More

The Children's Center for Hope and Healing is a non-profit organization serving victims of child sexual abuse.  The statistics are staggering at how many children are victims of this type of abuse.  CCHH provides counseling free of charge to the victims and the families we serve.  Check us out at www.hopeandhealingga.org As the President of the CCHH Board of Directors, I am proud of the work our agency does and the help we provide to so many children in North Georgia.  It is with the help of charitable donations like yours that we are able to serve even more kids and make a difference in their lives.  Any donation is appreciated and by donating you are helping to change a child's life for the better. Thanks for your support! Lisa Hide

I serve on the Board of Directors for Children's Center for Hope and Healing. I do so for several reasons but one is because I have seen first hand the good work they have done. I too often work with victims... Learn More

I serve on the Board of Directors for Children's Center for Hope and Healing. I do so for several reasons but one is because I have seen first hand the good work they have done. I too often work with victims of child sexual abuse, luckily, I can refer these children to an organization that can meet their very specific needs. CCHH brings hope and healing to hurting children. They work on an entirely non-profit basis. Any help that you can give would be so appreciated and put to such a good use. Hide

It's been 3 years now that I've worked at the Children's Center for Hope and Healing and I continue to be shocked, amazed, and awed--shocked at the cruelty that children have to endure, amazed by... Learn More

It's been 3 years now that I've worked at the Children's Center for Hope and Healing and I continue to be shocked, amazed, and awed--shocked at the cruelty that children have to endure, amazed by their strength in facing their difficult stories, and awed by the therapists who work with me who find creative intervention after creative intervention day in and day out to work with a wide range of children, adolescents, and parents from all different walks of life.  Many people told me that I would become numb to it after a while.  I'm still waiting for this to happen.  For me, my third year with the agency has been even more difficult than my first.  We served a record number of people in 2010:  1,095.  At times we had waiting lists several weeks long.  I remember pulling a referral form off of our fax machine during this time.  The form described a 10-year-old girl who needed counseling from us.  She had been raped twice by two different men.  Knowing that our waiting list was about 8 weeks long at the time, I put the referral paper in our inbox and simply cried.  How horrible that some little girl, practically a baby, had gone through something so horrific!  And how horrible that our agency didn't have enough money to be able to hire enough people to be able to have an opening in our schedule to be able to make an appointment to see her immediately!  You can help with this.  You can help make sure that little girls like this one are able to get the help they need when they need it by donating to the Children's Center for Hope and Healing.  Every year, during the month of April, we turn to good people we know to ask for help.  We need you to be there for us so that we can be there for all the little girls--and boys--who need the professional help of one of our licensed therapists. Today, our Finance Director was clearing some coloring pages from the lobby.  Among the pictures and scribble that had been done by children who have spent time in our lobby waiting was a note, an unsolicited testimonial, written in crayon in a child's handwriting.  It read: "This is a great place to come.  They help you alot." Please help our great place so we can help a lot! Cheers! Rebecca Hide

  Our Goal is simple:   WE ARE HERE TO STOP THE CYCLE OF CHILD ABUSE   The Month of April is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month along with Counseling month.    ... Learn More

  Our Goal is simple:   WE ARE HERE TO STOP THE CYCLE OF CHILD ABUSE   The Month of April is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month along with Counseling month.    There are many clients each year that need and recieve our help.  Without YOUR donations, this would not be possible! So, Please donate today to our Blue Ribbon Campaign!  Below is only one of the success stories!     Long Distance Care and Lessons that Last   Two years ago, a Hall County resident we’ll call “Maribel” had been sexually assaulted by her stepfather.  As we see it happen far too many times, her biological mom preferred to maintain her connection with the stepfather rather than with her own daughter so Mom and step-father abandoned Maribel who was about 11 or 12 at the time she came to us.  Because Maribel spoke Spanish, she received counseling from our Bi-lingual therapist, Sarynelly Rojas.  Through months of work together, Maribel began to feel less depressed and withdrawn despite the fact that she had been treated cruelly by her stepfather and that she had been for practical purposes orphaned. During the course of treatment, Maribel drew a picture that touched Ms. Rojas deeply.  It was a park with a swing set.  Beside the picture of herself swinging happily Maribel had painted an adult woman.  When Ms. Rojas asked who that was, she replied to her therapist “It’s you!  You make me feel safe.”   One of the things we teach children while they are in treatment is that they have the right to say no.  We also teach them if someone hurts them again, that they need to tell someone.  We help them identify the people in their lives who are safe to tell.   Without explanation, Maribel began emailing Ms. Rojas a few months ago out of the blue.  In the time since she had completed her treatment with the Children’s Center for Hope & Healing, an uncle of hers living in Arizona had been found.  She had been moved to Arizona to live with him.  At first the content of these emails were light and casual.  Then, Maribel disclosed.  She told Ms. Rojas that she had again been sexually abused, this time by the uncle with whom she lived.  She told her that she had reached out to her because she had remembered that Ms. Rojas had cared about her and that she knew she was a safe person to tell.   Immediately, Ms. Rojas notified the DFCS where Maribel was now living.  She also contacted Maribel’s school counselor.  The two of them were able to work with department of social workers who removed Maribel from the uncle’s custody to develop a plan to keep Maribel safe.   The agency’s education and care had been remembered, long after young Maribel had moved away and had helped her to reach out and receive the help that she needed at a time when she was once again in an unsafe place.       Hide

I have been on the board of this wonderful organization for 3 years.  For 27 years the Children's Center for Hope and Healing has provided counseling to children who are the victims of sexual... Learn More

I have been on the board of this wonderful organization for 3 years.  For 27 years the Children's Center for Hope and Healing has provided counseling to children who are the victims of sexual abuse.  The services provided are either free or very low cost. Your donation can help ensure that the Children's Center can treat children in a timely manner to help them to heal. Please be sure to visit the website at http://www.hopeandhealingga.org/ Erik Hide

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.  Please join me in contributing to The Children's Center for Hope and Healing's Blue Ribbon Campaign to help stop child abuse.  On behalf of children in... Learn More

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.  Please join me in contributing to The Children's Center for Hope and Healing's Blue Ribbon Campaign to help stop child abuse.  On behalf of children in Northeast Georgia, thank you for your donation!   Here is one of our success stories: When “Brooke,” first brought her daughter “Allie,” to therapy, she was distraught. The guilt of having a young child who was sexually abused is unimaginable. She was plagued with thoughts of “Why did I allow her to go on that play date?” “Why did I trust that family?” and “Shouldn’t I have known?” Her child hurt and, therefore, she hurt. She loved her child with all her heart. To make matters worse, Allie’s father, “John,” refused to speak about it. He wouldn’t say a single word to even acknowl­edge that it had happened. John thought the whole family should just “forget about it.” He didn’t see the need for therapy. He thought that therapy was something that only people who were weak needed and he wanted to teach his daughter to grow up strong. He thought Brooke was just being whiny and needy. He didn’t understand her need to talk about it. “Bad things happened sometimes,” he would say, “life’s tough.” As the months progressed, John wouldn’t take Allie to therapy. He wouldn’t ask her about what she did in therapy or talk about why she was there. Brooke felt no support so Allie’s therapist referred Brooke to our Women’s Service’s therapist, Dr. Susan Collins, and Brooke began to meet with Dr. Collins. Initially, Brooke was incredibly anxious and upset. She couldn’t clearly articulate what she felt or needed. The whole experience was very overwhelming for her. As they went through her emotions and began to process them in therapy, Dr. Collins was able to help her to articulate to John the importance of his presence and participation in Allie’s recovery. Brooke was able to tell John that it might not matter now, but that if Allie got to be a teenager and she looked back on these events, that she might wonder if the sexual abuse had affected John’s feelings about his daughter. She might think that his absence and refusal to talk about it was because she had done something wrong or that she was “dirty” in some way. For Allie’s sake, John began to engage. He came to therapy sessions a few times. He began to ask little Allie about how she was feeling, about what happened at therapy, and about how things were going. Through the support of our Women’s Services program, this family was able to work together to help Allie to recover from the trauma she experienced. With the help of Dr. Collins, Brooke was able to articulate what her family needed in a way that John could hear. The therapists at the Children’s Center for Hope & Healing work as a collaborative team. Many of the referrals in the pro­gram are within the agency from one program to another program. Because the agency is able to serve the child who is the victim, the parents, and—in cases where the offender is a child—the child who has offended, the agency is uniquely positioned to work with the entire family.      Hide

Our Goal is simple:   WE ARE HERE TO STOP THE CYCLE OF CHILD ABUSE   The Month of April is National Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month, Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Counseling... Learn More

Our Goal is simple:   WE ARE HERE TO STOP THE CYCLE OF CHILD ABUSE   The Month of April is National Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month, Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Counseling Awareness Month. Please donate for "Will", a little 4 year old boy in the Project Pathfinder program. He was taken from his parents and lives with his grandparents. He is a very mischievious boy, a "handful". His grandparents are not able to take care of him anymore and are putting him up for adoption. We have several clients who are in foster homes. Thankfully through Project Pathfinder, children like Will learn how to recognize their emotions and to control their behavior by practicing empathy skills. In doing so, we stop the cycle of sexual abuse. There are many clients each year that need and recieve our help.  Without YOUR donations, this would not be possible! So, Please donate today to our Blue Ribbon Campaign!   Hide

Our Goal is simple:   WE ARE HERE TO STOP THE CYCLE OF CHILD ABUSE   The Month of April is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month along with Counseling month.    There are... Learn More

Our Goal is simple:   WE ARE HERE TO STOP THE CYCLE OF CHILD ABUSE   The Month of April is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month along with Counseling month.    There are many clients each year that need and recieve our help.  Without YOUR donations, this would not be possible! So, Please donate today to our Blue Ribbon Campaign!  Below is only one of the success stories!       Not long after a teenage girl began seeing one of our therapists, her family mentioned some problems that her brother was having.  Our therapist recommended that the little boy talk to Mike Johnson, another therapist in the agency.  For a few months, Mike worked with the eleven-year-old boy on the problems he was having.  Then, the child began opening up about the abuse he had experienced.  Therapist Mike Johnson calls the abuse the child underwent some of the most horrific he’s ever heard about.   The problem, as is the case with many incidents of child abuse, is that it had happened about five years earlier, when the child was just six years old.  It would be difficult—if not impossible—for police to investigate or prosecute, especially when the child had not ever spoken of the abuse at the time that it happened.   Yet, the therapists at the Children’s Center for Hope & Healing are “mandated reporters,” meaning that they are required by law to report previously unreported incidents of child abuse.  In addition, the young boy really wanted justice.    Adding to the difficulties of the crime, the child was no longer living where the crime had occurred, nor was the offender.  Undaunted, Mike began calling.  He called law enforcement offices and child welfare offices in the county the child lives in, the county the child used to live in, and the county the offender lives in.  Each encouraged him to call a different county; none were eager to take a report on a five year-old crime with no physical evidence and only the distant memory of a six-year-old witness.   But Mike kept calling.   Finally, someone on the other end in one of the counties took the report.  The young boy was asked to travel out-of-state to give a deposition. Thinking about preparing for the deposition, he called Mike from the cell phone one day and asked, “Mr. Mike, will you go with me and my family to the sheriff’s office [in the other state]?”  With a personal invitation from the victim himself, how could Mr. Mike refuse?   Across state lines Mike journeyed to join his client and family for the deposition. Shortly thereafter, Mike received a phone call from the deputy who had taken the initial report.  She had tracked the offender down and gotten him to confess and he’s now behind bars!    Not long after Mike’s client gave deposition, the young boy’s grades began to improve in school as did his behavior. He’s playing on a sporting team. For the brave eleven-year-old who traveled across state lines to testify there was justice and healing in no small part because of the therapist who believed him and was willing to stick with it and keep making phone calls until someone was willing to take the report, hear the child, and take action against the offender.       Hide

Our Goal is simple: WE ARE HERE TO STOP THE CYCLE OF CHILD ABUSE The Month of April is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month along with Counseling month. There are many clients each year that need... Learn More

Our Goal is simple: WE ARE HERE TO STOP THE CYCLE OF CHILD ABUSE The Month of April is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month along with Counseling month. There are many clients each year that need and recieve our help. Without YOUR donations, this would not be possible! So, Please donate today to our Blue Ribbon Campaign! Below is only one of the success stories! Long Distance Care and Lessons that Last Two years ago, a Hall County resident we’ll call “Maribel” had been sexually assaulted by her stepfather. As we see it happen far too many times, her biological mom preferred to maintain her connection with the stepfather rather than with her own daughter so Mom and step-father abandoned Maribel who was about 11 or 12 at the time she came to us. Because Maribel spoke Spanish, she received counseling from our Bi-lingual therapist, Sarynelly Rojas. Through months of work together, Maribel began to feel less depressed and withdrawn despite the fact that she had been treated cruelly by her stepfather and that she had been for practical purposes orphaned. During the course of treatment, Maribel drew a picture that touched Ms. Rojas deeply. It was a park with a swing set. Beside the picture of herself swinging happily Maribel had painted an adult woman. When Ms. Rojas asked who that was, she replied to her therapist “It’s you! You make me feel safe.” One of the things we teach children while they are in treatment is that they have the right to say no. We also teach them if someone hurts them again, that they need to tell someone. We help them identify the people in their lives who are safe to tell. Without explanation, Maribel began emailing Ms. Rojas a few months ago out of the blue. In the time since she had completed her treatment with the Children’s Center for Hope & Healing, an uncle of hers living in Arizona had been found. She had been moved to Arizona to live with him. At first the content of these emails were light and casual. Then, Maribel disclosed. She told Ms. Rojas that she had again been sexually abused, this time by the uncle with whom she lived. She told her that she had reached out to her because she had remembered that Ms. Rojas had cared about her and that she knew she was a safe person to tell. Immediately, Ms. Rojas notified the DFCS where Maribel was now living. She also contacted Maribel’s school counselor. The two of them were able to work with department of social workers who removed Maribel from the uncle’s custody to develop a plan to keep Maribel safe. The agency’s education and care had been remembered, long after young Maribel had moved away and had helped her to reach out and receive the help that she needed at a time when she was once again in an unsafe place. Hide

Avita Community Partners and the Children's Center for Hope and Healing have been good community partners for years. I am so honored to be on the CCHH board because the work that CCHH does is so important. Their... Learn More

Avita Community Partners and the Children's Center for Hope and Healing have been good community partners for years. I am so honored to be on the CCHH board because the work that CCHH does is so important. Their staff are the experts at helping children who have been sexually victimized and they are who we turn to when this type of tragedy occurs. Please give so that our children can receive this specialized treatment and grow up to be healthy productive adults. Hide

<!--StartFragment--> Our Goal is simple: WE ARE HERE TO STOP THE CYCLE OF CHILD ABUSE The Month of April is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month along with Counseling month.  There are... Learn More

<!--StartFragment--> Our Goal is simple: WE ARE HERE TO STOP THE CYCLE OF CHILD ABUSE The Month of April is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month along with Counseling month.  There are many clients each year that need and recieve our help.  Without YOUR donations, this would not be possible! So, Please donate today to Sponsor a Child!  Below is only one of the success stories!   Long Distance Care and Lessons that Last Two years ago, a Hall County resident we’ll call “Maribel” had been sexually assaulted by her stepfather.  As we see it happen far too many times, her biological mom preferred to maintain her connection with the stepfather rather than with her own daughter so Mom and step-father abandoned Maribel who was about 11 or 12 at the time she came to us.  Because Maribel spoke Spanish, she received counseling from our Bi-lingual therapist, Sarynelly Rojas.  Through months of work together, Maribel began to feel less depressed and withdrawn despite the fact that she had been treated cruelly by her stepfather and that she had been for practical purposes orphaned. During the course of treatment, Maribel drew a picture that touched Ms. Rojas deeply.  It was a park with a swing set.  Beside the picture of herself swinging happily Maribel had painted an adult woman.  When Ms. Rojas asked who that was, she replied to her therapist “It’s you!  You make me feel safe.” One of the things we teach children while they are in treatment is that they have the right to say no.  We also teach them if someone hurts them again, that they need to tell someone.  We help them identify the people in their lives who are safe to tell. Without explanation, Maribel began emailing Ms. Rojas a few months ago out of the blue.  In the time since she had completed her treatment with the Children’s Center for Hope & Healing, an uncle of hers living in Arizona had been found.  She had been moved to Arizona to live with him.  At first the content of these emails were light and casual.  Then, Maribel disclosed.  She told Ms. Rojas that she had again been sexually abused, this time by the uncle with whom she lived.  She told her that she had reached out to her because she had remembered that Ms. Rojas had cared about her and that she knew she was a safe person to tell. Immediately, Ms. Rojas notified the DFCS where Maribel was now living.  She also contacted Maribel’s school counselor.  The two of them were able to work with department of social workers who removed Maribel from the uncle’s custody to develop a plan to keep Maribel safe.   The agency’s education and care had been remembered, long after young Maribel had moved away and had helped her to reach out and receive the help that she needed at a time when she was once again in an unsafe place. <!--EndFragment--> Hide

"This is a Great place to be coming to    they help you alot!"  This note was left by one of our young clients who is receiving therapuetic services at CCHH.  Please... Learn More

"This is a Great place to be coming to    they help you alot!"  This note was left by one of our young clients who is receiving therapuetic services at CCHH.  Please contribute to our annual fundraising campaign so we can continue our work of breaking the cycle of sexual abuse and  ensure that children continue to have a "Great place to be coming to....." April is Child Abuse Awareness Month!! Hide

Our Goal is simple: WE ARE HERE TO STOP THE CYCLE OF CHILD ABUSE The Month of April is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month along with Counseling month. There are many clients each year that need and... Learn More

Our Goal is simple: WE ARE HERE TO STOP THE CYCLE OF CHILD ABUSE The Month of April is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month along with Counseling month. There are many clients each year that need and recieve our help. Without YOUR donations, this would not be possible! So, Please donate today to our Blue Ribbon Campaign! Below is only one of the success stories! Long Distance Care and Lessons that Last Two years ago, a Hall County resident we’ll call “Maribel” had been sexually assaulted by her stepfather. As we see it happen far too many times, her biological mom preferred to maintain her connection with the stepfather rather than with her own daughter so Mom and step-father abandoned Maribel who was about 11 or 12 at the time she came to us. Because Maribel spoke Spanish, she received counseling from our Bi-lingual therapist, Sarynelly Rojas. Through months of work together, Maribel began to feel less depressed and withdrawn despite the fact that she had been treated cruelly by her stepfather and that she had been for practical purposes orphaned. During the course of treatment, Maribel drew a picture that touched Ms. Rojas deeply. It was a park with a swing set. Beside the picture of herself swinging happily Maribel had painted an adult woman. When Ms. Rojas asked who that was, she replied to her therapist “It’s you! You make me feel safe.” One of the things we teach children while they are in treatment is that they have the right to say no. We also teach them if someone hurts them again, that they need to tell someone. We help them identify the people in their lives who are safe to tell. Without explanation, Maribel began emailing Ms. Rojas a few months ago out of the blue. In the time since she had completed her treatment with the Children’s Center for Hope & Healing, an uncle of hers living in Arizona had been found. She had been moved to Arizona to live with him. At first the content of these emails were light and casual. Then, Maribel disclosed. She told Ms. Rojas that she had again been sexually abused, this time by the uncle with whom she lived. She told her that she had reached out to her because she had remembered that Ms. Rojas had cared about her and that she knew she was a safe person to tell. Immediately, Ms. Rojas notified the DFCS where Maribel was now living. She also contacted Maribel’s school counselor. The two of them were able to work with department of social workers who removed Maribel from the uncle’s custody to develop a plan to keep Maribel safe. The agency’s education and care had been remembered, long after young Maribel had moved away and had helped her to reach out and receive the help that she needed at a time when she was once again in an unsafe place. Hide