Helping Survivors of Violent Crime

counseling

OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford has opened a trauma recovery center called OSF Strive Trauma Recovery Center (TRC). This is the second OSF HealthCare Strive location. A similar program started at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria four years ago.

“OSF Strive is a trauma recovery center working to help folks in the community who are struggling with issues of depression, anxiety, aftershock of trauma," said Therasa Yehling, Manager, OSF Strive. "We want to help them with therapy and case management to get them through that difficult time and hopefully help them to be able to cope and be able to move on from that.”

The OSF Strive TRC is for survivors of violent crime who are experiencing post-traumatic distress but are not receiving other mental health care. That includes people struggling with symptoms of anxiety, depression or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after a trauma such as gun violence, assaults, domestic violence, armed violence or robbery in which they are the victim or witness.

“The folks being helped by this program would, unfortunately, have experienced a violent crime recently, who are 14 and older, and violent crime being possibly domestic violence, gang violence, witnessing these things, mass shootings," said Therasa Yehling, Manager, OSF Strive. "We want to help stabilize this person after seeing something like that.”

OSF Strive staff includes therapists, case managers, a project evaluator and an outreach coordinator, who helps keep clients engaged if they are put on a waiting list or drop out of services for any reason. An OSF Strive therapist will work from the Family Peace Center two days a week and will collaborate with other agencies throughout the Rockford area to provide services more easily to the underserved.

“I want people to know that the people here that we have hired are passionate, they are trained to understand trauma and they take folks seriously about what is bothering them," said Therasa Yehling, Manager, OSF Strive. "We truly want to figure out how to move mountains for them.”

All services are provided in a safe environment of the client’s choice, and it’s not limited to therapy and case management. OSF Strive can provide advocacy and education by going to appointments with the clients, or helping with life skills and tasks, including grocery shopping, budgeting, cooking or nutrition.

“We want to make sure we’re removing all barriers for that person to be able to get the services they need so they can feel better and move on,” said Therasa Yehling, Manager, OSF Strive. 

OSF Strive Trauma Recovery Center is supported by a grant from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.

For more information, visit OSF HealthCare.