If you have experienced or been exposed to violence, the staff of Safe Places can help you begin a journey toward healing and hope.
Our organization Incorporated in Arkansas in 2002 as The Center for Healing and Hope with the following mission and vision:
Supportive Services for Persons Who Have Experienced Violence
We offer a variety of supportive services for individuals, couples and families, and are equipped to work with adults, adolescents and children. Our professional staff is experienced in helping victims of domestic and sexual violence; child victims of violence and abuse; and adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse; as well as victims who are experiencing grief and loss from other forms of violence.
We also provide education to individuals and groups who desire to effectively assist victims of violence. This training is useful for counselors and therapists, educators, youth workers, clergy and faith communities, health care and mental health providers.
Specialized Curriculum for Faith Communities
Our sexual and domestic violence prevention education features a specialized curriculum written for use with clergy and faith communities. In addition, we serve as trainers and consultants with clergy and faith communities as they provide support to victims of violence in their midst. Our training curriculum is specifically designed to address the unique challenges of clergy and members of faith communities who work with victims of violence.
Our staff includes individuals with years of experience in working wth victims of domestic and sexual violence, child abuse and other forms of violence. Staff have specialized expertise in counseling, trauma therapy, pastoral care, support group facilitation, criminal justice advocacy and the mental health issues that sometimes affect victims of violence.
Angela McGraw, CVAP-A, Violence Prevention and Intervention Coordinator, is a 2005 graduate of the U.S. Department of Justice National Victim Assistance Academy. She is an experienced domestic violence advocate with extensive knowledge of issues related to domestic and sexual violence, as well as child protection. She provides violence prevention education through our Transforming Anger, Seeing Red, Quit It! and Expect Respect Programs, and also provides advocacy and support for victims of violence.
Kerri Michael Sernel, MSW, is our Community Advocacy Coordinator. She is a graduate of the University of Alabama, and received her Master's Degree in social work from the University of North Carolina. Kerri is an experienced advocate for victims and has done extensive work to ensure that the rights of victims are our community's priority. She has served in many capacities in serving victims of violence including victim assistance, support group facilitation and coordinating volunteer advocates.
Lisette Yang holds degrees in the field of public relations, communication and graphic design. She serves as our Latino Outreach Coordinator, and is involved with many Latino families who have experienced victimization. She provides an extremely valuable compoent of our program, and is in high demand for providing advocacy services to non-English speaking persons in our community. Lisette has a full case load, receiving referrals from a variety of agencies including local law enforcement, local medical facilities, the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Children and Family Services, and the Mexican Consulate..Lisette is also an experienced translator and is responsible for our curriculum, brochures, and other materials being available for non-English speaking families.
Sabra Miller brings a wealth of expertise in community health, having earned degrees in Health Education with an emphasis in Community Health Promotion. The ability to approach violence as a public health epidemic will enable Sabra to bring an experienced, informed approach to the issue of victimization. She has served as an advocate for victims of sexual abuse, and will be filling a great need in our agency in the area of advocacy. Sabra will be working as our Child Advocate, and will also work with the families of children and youth.
