SOAR’S Mission
SOAR is a non profit organization dedicated to providing professional mental health services to victims of sexual trauma and their families regardless of their ability to pay. A leader in the field SOAR also provides advocacy, education and professional development. Prevention: Early reporting and treatment are central to a victim’s recovery and the prevention of further victim
ization. When an individual does not receive appropriate treatment and thus be able to go on to recovery, the results can include: revictimization, inadequate parenting or inability to protect their children from victimization, severe psychiatric disabilities, drop in productivity at school, work and home, and lost time from work. Additionally, some sex crimes are perpetrated by untreated victims of sexual abuse. Education: SOAR’s clinicians provide educational services to help children know when abuse is occurring, and how to get help. SOAR also provides educational information to other professions such as teaching and nursing, to upgrade their skills in obtaining proper treatment for sexual abuse/assault victims. In addition to the ongoing evaluation of each client by a trained clinician, the effectiveness of SOAR’s treatment program for children and adolescents is measured with the trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC), which is administered to teens before and after each cycle of the group treatment program they participate in. Children complete the TSCC at the beginning of treatment, after six sessions, and at the end of treatment or after one year, whichever comes sooner. The effectiveness of SOAR’s treatment program for adults is monitored with the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), a standard questionnaire that measures a client’s self-reported symptoms in nine specific psychological problem areas. Clients complete the SCL-90 four times before, during, and after treatment.
