Crime Victim Services

The Lincoln Center also offers counseling services specifically for people affected by crime. There are three programs: Mobile Counseling Services (ages 5-59), Elder Victim Mobile Support program (ages 60 plus), and Art Therapy program (all ages). These three programs are funded by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) via the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). Our VOCA Community Counseling program focuses specifically on conducting outreach and providing free mobile counseling for victims of crime who are 5 to 59 years old, while the other program, Elder Victim Mobile Support, aids victims of crime aged 60 or older.

 

Victims of Crime Act Program

The Victims of Crime Act program provides counseling services for children and adults living in Montgomery County who have been affected by crime in the past or present, whether the crime went reported or unreported. These confidential services are facilitated by our Certified Clinical Trauma Professional therapists with extensive trauma-focused training. Lincoln Center counselors travel to an agreed upon location, whether that is someone’s home, a different confidential location, or Lincoln Center offices, or they provide transportation related to accessing victimization services. Counselors lead support groups within specific communities and also provide information on victim’s rights, victims compensation, and the criminal justice system in general. Lincoln Center counselors also provide case management services and assistance with filing compensation claims. Victim identification presentations can be conducted by our counselors in the community to help persons self-identify and or to help professionals identify those who they serve.

If you are in need of these services, please call 610-277-3715 ext. 243.

 

Elder Victim Mobile Support

Our Elder Victim Mobile Support program addresses and overcomes barriers facing people in the 60 and older community in Montgomery County who have been affected by crime in the past or present. These barriers include gaps in identifying and reporting of crimes and or abuse and in accessing victim services due to otherwise limited resources. Our Therapy and Supportive Services through EVMS include individual and group therapy, crisis and trauma-focused therapy, safety planning, education and support regarding victims’ rights, case management, assistance in filing compensation claims, information on community resources, and transportation related to victims’ services. Therapy is provided by licensed masters-level clinicians who are certified as clinical trauma professionals. Therapists can travel into the homes of clients who are unable to leave for physical, financial, or mental/emotional reasons. Elder Victim Mobile Support therapists and case managers network with senior centers, with homeless shelters, with local agencies, with community leaders, and at community events to reach people who need support or therapy relating to victimization. Case managers assist therapists through a team approach by conducting client intake and community outreach to facilitate communication processes.

Eligible clients include Montgomery County Residents age 60 and over that have in the past or are currently experiencing:

  • Abuse (physical, emotional, sexual)
  • Domestic Violence
  • Harassment
  • Stalking
  • Fraud
  • Robbery/Home Invasion
  • Assault
  • Identity Theft/Scamming
  • Vehicular Crime (DUI/Hit & Run)
  • Neglect
  • Mass Violence (International & Domestic)
  • Hate Crimes
  • Other Crimes

If you are in need of these services or are aware of an individual 60 and over that may benefit from victim support services, please contact an Elder Victim Mobile Therapist at:

(610)-277-3715 ext. 250 or 484-948-2790

 

Art Therapy

Our art therapy program is free, mobile, and available to any Montgomery County resident who has been a victim of crime. Lincoln Center counselors can travel to an agreed upon location, whether that is someone’s home, a different confidential location, or Lincoln Center offices. The goal of the service is to provide interventions that allow children, individuals, and families, to actively imagine, experiment, reframe, and rehearse desired changes through self-expression. Expressive art therapy and related approaches support trauma recovery using neurodevelopment and mind-body best practices and fills a significant gap for those who do not respond to traditional types of therapy. Art therapy explores counseling from a creative, non-verbal approach that may help overcome the difficulty in verbalizing trauma and will be used to guide clients to improve personal insights and overcome the negative effects of traumatic events.

There is a strong demand in Montgomery County for effective and innovative approaches for treating trauma caused by victimization. The program will serve individuals and families experiencing trauma related to past or present events including: abuse, domestic violence, harassment, stalking, fraud, robbery, assault, identity theft/scamming, vehicular crime, mass violence, and other crimes. Our art therapists have their master of arts in art therapy and are certified in trauma-informed expressive arts therapy.