Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center provides child abuse victims with a child-friendly, community-oriented, facility-based program. At Safe Harbor, professionals from multiple agencies come together to address abuse in a way that honors the child’s need for safety, dignity, and privacy, thereby reducing trauma and preventing further victimization of the child.
Children are interviewed at Safe Harbor using a forensic interview process utilizing the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) approach. The MDT includes law enforcement, Child Protective Services, a Commonwealth Attorney, a forensic nurse, a victim advocate, a mental health therapist, and Safe Harbor staff.
The collaborative approach and follow-up services offered through Safe Harbor ensure child-focused services where the child’s needs are the main priority. Specially trained professionals come to the child instead of the child traveling to different offices and being interviewed multiple times. Non-offending family members can also find support, information, education, and other services at Safe Harbor.
Duties
The intern’s duties may include:
- Developing and/or implementing community education projects
- Assisting with group therapy
- Observing intakes
- Writing up clinical evaluations
- Making behavioral observations
- Undertaking case-study preparations
- Developing and implementing fund-raising activities
- Assisting with office administrative tasks
Pre-Requisites
- Must meet all UMW and Department of Psychological Science internship requirements.
- Ability to pass a background check
- Required courses:
- PSYC 315 – Foundations of Clinical Psychology
- PSYC 231 – Infant and Child Development or PSYC 232 – Adolescent and Emerging Adult Development
- Recommended courses:
- PSYC 201 – Social Psychology
- PSYC 346 – Forensic Psychology
- SOCG 331 – The Family
Assessment
- 42 hours of work per credit hour (most interns do 3 credits with 126 hours of work)
- Grade is based on on-campus supervision, agency evaluation, reflective journal, and a final paper
Agency Contact
Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Main office: (540) 891-6280
Website: Website