This F.O.C.U.S. group counsels those in need
By Lisa Redmond, lredmond@lowellsun.com, The Lowell Sun, November 15, 2007
LOWELL -- Some have been abused by their spouses and don't know where to turn for help. Others have been sexually assaulted and need counseling to help them feel safe again.
And still others have fled the torture of their native lands, but can't escape their nightmares of death and torture.
Each week, 12-20 new clients walk through the doors of the Mental Health Association of Greater Lowell Inc. at 99 Church St. and walk into the F.O.C.U.S. program.
Finding Options for Change, Understanding & Safety is a free and confidential program that offers counseling and referrals to resources to anyone who has been the victim of a violent crime or a drunken-driving crash.
Begun in 2001 after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, F.O.C.U.S. has evolved into a group that provides free counseling for everyone from battered spouses to refugees who escaped the horror of the Khmer Rouge.
At a time of growing unemployment and the loss of mental-health counseling through health insurance, Susan Wilner, F.O.C.U.S. program supervisor/counselor, says F.O.C.U.S. fills an important gap for those who need counseling may not have insurance, the money to pay the insurance co-pays or illegal aliens.
"A lot of those people fall through the cracks," Wilner said. "You don't need a police report or a restraining order to prove you are the victim of a crime. We take everyone at their word," she said.
With grants from the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance and the state Drunk Driving Trust Fund, F.O.C.U.S. employs Wilner, three part-time case managers, and interns from September to May. Some of their staff speak Khmer and Spanish and the group has access to counselors who speak other languages.
Despite the services available, F.O.C.U.S. still has an uphill battle.
"There is a lot of stigma around mental-health counseling," Wilner said. "Victims will often come to us to get help with paying the bills, but they are resistent to utilize the counseling."
They get a helping hand by getting referrals from trusted sources, such as Dottie Berrios, a victim-witness advocate from the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, local hospitals, ambulance personnel and battered women's shelters.
The program does extensive outreach to connect with doctors, lawyers and other personnel that come into contact with victims. Some battered women will seek counseling for their children, but not for themselves.
F.O.C.U.S. sees victims of drunk drivers seek counseling, but people who were in the car with the drunk driver are victims who may need help. F.O.C.U.S. is one of only six programs in the state that offer help to victims of drunk drivers. The program is working with M.A.D.D. to publicize its resources.
"The victims of crime are a bigger pool, while victims of drunk drivers is a smaller group," said clinical director Brian Maxfield.
Despite the work they do, Wilner said there is one person they won't help -- the perpetrator. But sometimes the perpetrator isn't completely to blame for the stress the victim feels.
"It is tough for all survivors when they feel justice isn't served," Wilner said. Maxfield added, "Sometimes the criminal justice system retraumatizes the victim."
Wilner remembers one woman who didn't think she had the strength to testify against the person who assaulted her. "Through the program she felt she had to the courage to do it and she did," Wilner said.
The F.O.C.U.S. program is located at 99 Church St., Lowell. To contact the program by phone the number is (978) 458-6282 or by e-mail, focus@mhalowell.org