KCIT Connection Quarterly

Welcome to the KCIT CONNECTION Quarterly Update- Happy Spring!

January- March 2024

A way to connect and share updates about the work we do across PA

WELCOME BETH COUTTS TO KCIT!

We are so excited to welcome Beth as our Training and Outreach Specialist!

Beth is a trauma informed practitioner and has dedicated the last 15 years of her career to supporting individuals and communities who have been impacted by crime. Her many years as a Direct Service Advocate for Adams County were dedicated to a focus on domestic violence and sexual assault victims.

In her most recent position as a Family Counselor at TrueNorth Wellness Services, she provided in-home family co-therapy to children and their families who were at risk of out-of-home placement. In addition, Beth is a trained former KCIT Volunteer and feels proud to be a part of the team again!

KCIT WELCOMES NEW AND RETURNING VOLUNTEERS!

Sam Gordillo

Sam lives in Allentown and works for the Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley as Victims Compensation Coordinator/Lead Victim Advocate. As a court advocate, Sam provides services to victims of varied crimes. She also offers emotional support and validation throughout the process and provides additional resources when needed. Sam brings her direct victim service work as an advocate to KCIT, where she looks forward to applying her experience to Crisis Response.

Karen Johnston

Karen Johnston is located in Franklin County, where she is the Executive Director of Healthy Communities Partnership. Karen is coming back to our KCIT team, having served in the past! Karen has both direct victim services experience as well as teaching and has served a wide range of populations in various roles, from Child Welfare Trainer to Program Director. Karen has worked as a crisis hotline counselor, has worked with the families and friends of homicide victims, supports her staff through vicarious trauma, has extensive experience with rural communities, and much more.

Kelsey O'Hara

Kelsey lives in Quakertown and is a caseworker at County of Bucks Children and Youth. Kelsey has experience with a wide array of populations in need from her position as a social worker, and she holds a degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. Kelsey previously worked at KidsPeace Foster Care and Community Programs as a Family Resource Specialist, where she met with prospective foster families, supervised daily operations, and provided training for potential families.

Lauren Stabinsky

Lauren Stabinsky joins us from Bucks County and learned about KCIT through her volunteer onboarding at NOVA. Lauren is a retired emergency nurse and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. She is now the CEO of Plan-A Healthcare Consulting in Newtown, where she provides education, assessment, and coaching for healthcare providers. Lauren served/s on numerous committees, and has experience with trauma, emergencies, and crises of varying scope while serving diverse populations.

QUARTER AT A GLANCE

KCIT hosted one GCI in Bucks County.

We provided companioning for a human trafficking panel event in Harrisburg.

KCIT conducted outreach to 19 forensic nurses, connected with 14 and provided support to 2.

We are expanding our Forensic Nurse Support Program with a team of volunteers. More on this below!

We provided outreach support regarding 5 potential deployments in Philadelphia, Bucks, York, Dauphin and Indiana Counties.

We onboarded 3 new volunteers and welcomed back one volunteer to active status, and also recruited one new mentor for additional support!

KCIT coordinated, hosted and provided GCI training in February – with 10 participants completing the training. One joined the team, and we have several in pipeline who are in the process.

We finished working with professional visual note taker, Katie Chappell, to create an outreach tool focused on the function and process of a Group Crisis Intervention. Video is linked below!

Planning is underway for our volunteer meeting in July!

Post Service Intervention

KCIT has seen huge success with our model for supporting Forensic Nurses after they conduct a SANE exam. We are excited to expand and offer support to more professionals who take on this challenging yet vital work.

KCIT recruited 15 volunteers to attend training with Forensic Nurse, Kisha Elder, in order to begin providing Post Service Intervention – support to Bucks County Forensic Nurses. We thank Kisha for her time and expertise!

KCIT OUTREACH

Watch it here!

KCIT utilized funds to contract with professional visual note taker, Katie Chappell, to create an outreach tool focused on the function and process of a Group Crisis Intervention. We look forward to this video increasing awareness of our services so that we can continue to serve communities throughout Pennsylvania affected by crime.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Learn the Group Crisis Intervention Model

to respond to community trauma.

During a GCI a group is led by a facilitator through a series of questions using time progression—starting in the past, present, and then future. Questions aim to help participants sort through their experience of the event, sensory impact, reactions, and what they continue to hold as a result of the trauma. The group process assists in restoring connection and the feeling that “I am not alone” in my suffering. It is important to understand that a GCI is not therapy and is a one-time intervention. Must attend all sessions to receive KCIT Certification.

Annual Volunteer Meeting

Our annual volunteer meeting will take place in Ephrata, on July 24th. We will be sending invitations soon!