Set Free Refuge Sets Focus On Serving The Mental Health Needs Of Trauma Survivors

• We have provided shelter and support services for several young women through a transitional living house.
• We have provided hundreds of hours of mental health therapy to survivors through our counseling services.
• We have participated in dozens of community events, raising the level of awareness of human trafficking.
• We have participated in area wide and state wide human trafficking events and have been a voice to government leaders regarding the needs of human trafficking survivors.
• We have been able to refer dozens of survivors seeking assistance outside of the services we offer to various other organizations.”

Skip says one of the initial goals of Set Free Refuge was to open a home to shelter victims of human trafficking. However, that goal proved to be beyond their reach.

“The budget we came up with for a house to accommodate four residents was about $20,000 a month, and it was just beyond our ability to raise that much funding. So, recently we just took a step back and asked ourselves ‘what can we do with what we have?’ The resources we do have include a strong board, a great group of volunteers and a good following in the community. We can still do a lot with that! We also felt like focusing on mental health was always our strong point since we began 3 1/2 years ago. So that’s where we decided to concentrate mission.”

Skip says that having trauma informed therapy is a critical part of the healing journey of survivors of sexual trauma. PTSD, stemming from trauma, can affect a survivors ability to cope with even the basic functions of life like holding a job or having meaningful relationships. Trauma informed therapy helps a survivor unpack all the negative emotions and destructive behaviors that trauma causes and gives her tools she can use to manage her well being. For most trauma survivors, life never returns to how it was before the trauma, but working with a skilled therapist can equip the survivor with the ability to understand her trauma and how it affects her so she can manage it.

However, therapy can be prohibitively expensive for survivors who do not have insurance. A therapy session by a therapist experienced in dealing with sexual trauma typically costs about $150.00. And it can take years of regular therapy to untangle all the trauma a survivor has experienced, amounting to tens of thousands of dollars in therapy costs. That is where Set Free has decided to focus their efforts.

In keeping with their new focus, Set Free Refuge has changed their name to Set Free Foundation. They partner with therapist specializing in working with sexual trauma survivors and provide funding for clients who have experienced any type of sexual trauma and do not have the ability to pay. If a sexual trauma survivor is seeking therapy and cannot afford it, Set Free will provide funding to the therapist of their choice. If they do not have a therapist, Set Free will assist in helping find one.

Set Free recently held their second annual gala event at St. Sylvester’s Church here in Navarre. The gala was a huge success raising over $13,000 to fund therapy sessions. Their next fund raising event is a community garage sale on March 8,9 and 10 at 9113 Military Tr. in Navarre. Set Free is looking for quality items to be donated for the sale. If you have anything you would like to donate, please contact Set Free at info@setfreerefuge.org

Also, Set Free is always looking for volunteers. It is a very active organization and if you would like to get involved, you email them for information about the next volunteer meeting.

Finally, if anyone would like to inquire about funding for therapy, they can contact Set Free through their website setfreerefuge.org or email at info@setfreerefuge.org.