he purpose of the Trauma Recovery Center (TRC) is to help crime
victims overcome the psychological challenges of interpersonal violence
and return to social and economic productivity by providing a range of
mental health services. The TRC has accomplished this through an
innovative model of clinically cost-effective care by combining
outreach, case management, assistance with law enforcement, and
trauma-informed therapy to deal with the emotional wounds inflicted by
interpersonal violence.
Violence and trauma often have profound psychological consequences to the families for victims that are devastating and enduring. Family functioning and the emotional health of parents can promote or impede the development and severity of psychological distress in children.
TRC recognizes that victims need to receive comprehensive, family-focused services after suffering the psychological impact of violent crime. And because children often bear the psychological brunt of stress in a family after experiencing crime, TRC offers counseling services for children concurrently during services for adult guardians in English and Spanish. Healing and recovery of TRC’s adult patients are enhanced when their children receive the expert care they need. Parents feel reassured that their children are being taken care of and because of this are more likely to keep their own appointments.
Many of the children seen at San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (SFGH) are from neighborhoods that are known for their high rates of violent crime. A division of SFGH’s Department of Psychiatry, the Trauma Recovery Center sees a disproportionate number of families and children from Bayview/Hunters Point, and the Mission/Potrero Hill neighborhoods who witness violence in their communities or have family members who are themselves the victims of violent crime.
Fifty percent of child and adolescent patients are Latino, 30% African-American, 10% Caucasian, 5% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 5% identify as multiracial or "other." Over 85% of SFGH’s patients are low-income or indigent. Founded in 2001, the TRC has served over 3,000 families. Every year, the Center provides for more than 800 victims of violent crime, including gun violence and sexual assault, with innovative psychiatric support services, including group work, victim’s self-help groups, and one on one counseling. In addition to mental health services, the TRC provides clients with access to legal services, housing support, employment services, and financial entitlements. The Center serves trauma victims and their family members and has had great success in helping clients move forward with their lives after facing devastating and enduring trauma.
The Trauma Recovery Center’s treatment model continues to receive local and national recognition.