GREENFIELD — Thanks to a donation from Faith Church and $610,000 in grant funding from the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance, the Trauma Institute and Child Trauma Institute are expanding into Greenfield.
The Northampton-based organization will occupy an additional counseling space for intensive therapy retreats at Faith Church, 331 Silver St. in Greenfield. This is the Trauma Institute’s first office expansion into Franklin County.
According to Wendy Payson, director of marketing and outreach for the Trauma Institute, the organization serves people in Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin counties, and noticed people in Franklin County were having a hard time getting to the Northampton location.
“We can see there is a need in Greenfield, and it’s pretty central for people to get to,” Payson said. “We want the location to be as convenient as possible.”
Founded in 2002, the nonprofit is an international leader in developing and disseminating effective, well-tolerated and efficient therapy for psychological trauma, according to a Trauma Institute press release.
“We have extensive experience working with adults, children, and adolescents, including LGBTQ+ individuals,” Payson said.
The additional location will enable the institute to provide more no-cost intensive therapy retreats, specifically to victims of crime who live in Franklin County, Payson said. Many types of crime are covered by the grant funding, including assault, rape, robbery, intimate partner violence, child abuse, kidnapping, bullying and vehicular homicide. A police report is not required to receive services.
“Historically, we’ve served between 50 and 60 people annually through the VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) program,” she said. “Adding this space in Greenfield will give us the capacity to serve another 50 people.”
The Trauma Institute’s intensive therapy retreats are unique in that they take place in a series of full consecutive days so the results are quickly achieved, rather than hour-per-week therapy that can take months or even years. According to the release, research has found that the results of intensive trauma-focused therapy are equivalent to the same therapy delivered in the conventional weekly format but much quicker.
Through the therapy retreats, the Trauma Institute helps crime victims, witnesses and family members heal from their trauma and loss experiences, and thus has reduced anxiety, anger, depression and problem behaviors, the release states.
The private office space in the church will be used for therapy. There are no specific hours; rather, the hours are based on clients’ needs, Payson explained.
“It will be a shared therapy space where multiple therapists will be able to provide treatment,” she said.
For more information on the Trauma Institute, or to discuss eligibility for free therapy, visit therapyretreat.org, email voc@childtrauma.com or call 413-774-2340, ext. 105.
Reach Melina Bourdeau at 413-772-0261, ext. 263 or mbourdeau@recorder.com.