Children’s Program
The Children’s Program realizes that today’s children may be tomorrow’s abusers or victims. With this in mind, the primary goals of the program are as follows:
- Inform people of all ages that it is possible to discipline children without violence, and that no one, regardless of age, deserves abuse of any kind.
- To prevent today’s children from becoming tomorrow’s abusers or victims of abuse.
- To raise children’s level of self-esteem.
- To instill in each child a sense of responsibility for his/her own choices and actions.
Children’s groups are educational support groups, facilitated by ACT’s Child Specialist for children of a parent who is participating in the Insight, Freedom, and Journey groups. Children are separated into different age groups, and the curriculum is offered in an age appropriate manner. This group is offered at the same time as the adult group. Participants must register their children prior to attending a group.
All children who stay at the shelter receive an assessment as well as individual and group counseling. Child Specialists, who facilitate the groups, divide the children so that they are age compatible, thus they are able to provide quality counseling that is understandable for each age level.
This site is owned and maintained by Abuse Counseling and Treatment, Inc., a non-profit agency funded in part by United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades Counties, Lee County, Florida Department of Children and Families, Florida Council Against Sexual Violence, City of Cape Coral, Office of the Attorney General, The Bobby Nichols - Fiddlesticks Charity Foundation, fundraising and donations from the community.
