Photo by Joanne Beck
There are some career paths that seem so riddled with potential pain, that there might not seem like an adequate answer for why one chooses it.
Yet, time and time again, there are people willing to step up and take on the grimy jobs, such as fighting for children who have been sexually or physically abused or who have witnessed violence.
Enter Trisha Reynolds, Genesee County’s new Justice for Children Advocacy Center program coordinator. As it seems with her predecessors, Reynolds attributes one main reason for her interest.
“It's difficult work. But that's my passion, for sure. Working with crime victims and children when I was in CPS was really what I felt like I was meant to be doing. I took a break from it to work in (the Department of Corrections), and working with offenders was eye-opening,” she said after the county’s Public Service meeting. “So it was a great experience. But doing that, I kind of kept feeling that tug. I knew I had to go back to working with victims.”
Reynolds, a resident of Corfu with a background in social work, has worked for the Wyoming County Department of Social Services for 10 years, first in preventive foster care as a child and adult protective senior caseworker and then at Wyoming Correctional Facility.
“So for me, the crossover between social work and law enforcement is just a place I feel really strongly about, so it’s a great opportunity. I did Child Protective Services for the majority of my time there; we would investigate reports of abuse and neglect,” she said.
The current CAC is housed at 304 E. Main St. in Batavia and has a staff of six people, including a therapist who gets fairly booked up. During the meeting, Legislative Chairwoman Shelley Stein said that she was "stunned" at how many mental health appointments have been offered at the center.
As new at the agency, what is most important when working with this population?
“To be real. When you're working with kids, the most important thing is to get them to connect with you, and just to be real and be open and honest,” Reynolds said. “The kids that we work with are victims of someone or something. So they've been through a lot, they may have trust issues, they don't feel a lot of control. So we really try to give them a safe place where they feel comfortable.
“We try to empower them, give them choices, and let them know what they can do in their life to move forward,” she said, listing the staff positions. “We have a lead family advocate. And then we have two family advocates under her. And then we have a couple part-time staff, we have a part-time fiscal officer. And then we have a full-time therapist and a part-time therapist … they're always offered the service regardless of why they're there or what they may or may not disclose. They're always offered the service. We do find a lot of people do take advantage of it. There is a shortage of child therapists, trauma therapists, and crisis therapists in the area, especially to deal with children. So, unfortunately, it's hard to find help. And a lot of places do have waitlists, and we're approaching a waitlist as well.”
According to the agency’s first quarter report, there were 135 mental health therapy sessions from January to April 4 of this year.
So far in 2024, 54 new cases have been opened, 127 children, caregivers and family members have been served, 201 counseling sessions have been provided, two medical exams and 46 forensic interviews have been conducted.
During that three-month period, there were 235 advocacy/consultations with law enforcement and 338 with the Department of Social Services.
Reynolds began her new position on eclipse day, April 8. Her biggest challenge is the volume of information to consume and digest, she said.
“There's so much to learn. There's a lot to learn, especially with the administrative, the grants, the legislature, so that's all new to me,” she said. “Everyone's been very, very helpful. Particularly (Genesee Justice coordinator Diana Prinzi) has been amazing. So they're really throwing me right in. But I'm excited to be here and I think everyone's on the same page with what our mission is. And as long as we keep focused on that, the rest is kind of detail. And we can figure that out.”
Reynolds filled the vacancy left by former coordinator Theresa Roth, who received a certificate for her work of eight years serving citizens on behalf of Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.
The advocacy center has just been selected to receive a $18,000 grant from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. The grant will be used for the multidisciplinary team for a term that runs from March 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2024.
Another initiative to be on Reynolds’ plate will be a partnership with Genesee Justice to provide the YWCA of Genesee County with advocacy and referrals for adults in need of counseling services due to dating violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and stalking, and children in need of crisis counseling services, or trauma counseling services when a wait list exists, due to domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
YWCA is applying for a grant that would pay for these services, and the agency, Genesee Justice and CAC are to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the arrangement. The Public Service Committee has agreed to pass it on to Ways & Means and then to the full Legislature for a final vote.
