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Welcome to the
Center for Abused Persons
The Center for Abused Persons is a private non-profit agency dedicated to reducing the incidence of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse - without consideration of age, gender, or type of abuse - within Charles County 24 hours a day through treatment and supportive services. Explore the site to learn more!
SERVICE OVERVIEW
Crisis Hotline
The Center for Abused Persons offers the only 24-hour, seven-day-a-week hotline in Charles County. Trained hotline counselors provide emotional support, problem solving and practical guidance, referrals to additional resources, and administrative support like appointment scheduling.
Counseling
Masters-level counselors offer affordable, trauma-informed care to adult and adolescent victims of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and childhood abuse. Counseling services may focus on short-term stabilization or long-term emotional processing and recovery.
Victim Advocacy
The Victim Advocate helps clients navigate the criminal-legal system. Services include assistance with safety planning, filing protective orders, accompanying victims to court proceedings, and providing hospital and/or home visits following dangerous assaults.
Abuse Intervention Program
The Abuse Intervention Program (AIP) is a state-certified, 26-week group opportunity for people who have perpetrated intimate partner violence. AIP uses a combination of education, skill building, conversation, and positive reinforcement to create lasting change.
Community Education
The Center for Abused Persons will send a staff educator to talk to your business, church, or community group about topics including intimate partner violence, healthy relationships, sexual assault prevention, child abuse prevention, and crisis intervention.
Each year, CAP has held an Angel Tree for our clients. During the holiday season, some clients can feel shame, disappointment, and hopelessness associated with being unable to provide their children with their holiday wishes. So we stepped in, along with the community to help ease this strain.
We are asking for community members to become sponsors for our clients during the holiday season. As a sponsor you can choice to sponsor a child, adult or even provide gift cards. Gifts should be brought to CAP by December 11th so we can give them to our clients by Christmas.
Town Hall Essay Winner:
Nicole DiBella
"Imagine experiencing this every day; your significant other forces you to stay home and controls whom you can and whom you cannot hang out with. In addition, they force you to obey their demands and if you go against their wishes, they retaliate by raising their hand and threating to hit you. Unfortunately, that is one example of an unhealthy relationship. What is an unhealthy relationship? An unhealthy relationship is when one person in the relationship begins to be abusive and controlling over the other. What constitutes an unhealthy relationship you may ask? In the next few paragraphs, I will share a true story of a mental, physical, and verbally abused, victim who went through these hardships.
While searching for case studies, I found Jade’s story. When Jade first met her boyfriend, he was kind, loving, passionate, and made Jade feel special. After moving in together, he started to change. Jade’s boyfriend became controlling over things such as her clothing, what she ate, and where she could go. He expected Jade to cook and clean before he got home and if it were not done, he would disrespect Jade by belittling her and comparing her to other girls. When Jades boyfriend was drinking or doing drugs, he would get violent by hitting, kicking, and head butting her. He would embarrass Jade by dragging her in front of people and hitting her in the car while she was driving. After sobering up the following day, he would apologize and manipulate Jade into forgiving him. His physical and mental abuse began to take its toll on Jade’s self-esteem and confidence.
Jade’s relationship was very toxic and unhealthy. She felt trapped with no way out. Jade’s means of coping and surviving was a belief that she could change him into a loving, caring, drug free man. Despite Jade's attempts, her boyfriend continued with his lack of respect and love for Jade.
Due to lack of resources and money, Jade’s boyfriend forced her to get a job. Jade met amazing people who encouraged her to seek help with ending her toxic relationship. One of Jade’s new friends suggested that the way jade was being treated was not right and that jade should leave him. One morning jade left and started reconnecting with her family again. Over time and with the help of support from her friends and family, Jade was able to regain her self-esteem and confidence while resuming a normal life.
If not for organizations like The Center for Abused Persons and their valuable guidance and resources, Jade’s story may have continued to happen countlessly. CAP on a daily basis provides counseling services and resources to others who are experiencing the hardships and abuse Jade once faced. Jade’s story can happen to anyone regardless of race, religion, gender, or economic background. As a young female, the knowledge of knowing what this organization is about will enable me to reach out for help should myself or any of my friends experience what Jade experienced."
Amazon Smile
Center for Abused Persons is on Amazon Smile. Shop at AmazonSmile
and they donate to Community Crisis and Referral Center, Inc.
(Center for Abused Persons) at no cost to you! Click on the picture to go there now!
AmazonSmile is now available through the Amazon App!
Donate Today!
Please consider making a donation to the Center for Abused Persons (CAP) in one of the following ways:
• Online via PayPal
• Checks made payable to "Center for Abused Persons"
