All of our counseling and advocacy services are FREE.  To find out more or arrange an appointment, call our hotline at 413-772-0806 or 888-249-0806. 

SEXUAL ASSAULT:
Sexual assault can be terrifying. In addition to physical injuries, the survivor may feel shocked, depressed, enraged, and vulnerable, and at a loss for where to turn.

NELCWIT is Franklin County's official rape crisis center.  We offer support, advocacy and counseling to women, girls, men, and boys who have survived sexual assault. 

To report a sexual assault, the survivor can come to NELCWIT's office or call our hotline. All calls to rape crisis hotlines are free and confidential.  The sexual assault survivor can also go directly to Franklin Medical Center.  Hospital staff call NELCWIT, and a NELCWIT advocate will go to the hospital to offer support and advocacy - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Immediately after an assault and in the time following the crisis, our counselors are available to offer emotional support and counseling, as well as advocacy with the police, the courts, and the District Attorney's office.

We also work with survivors who seek support regarding past assaults. 

---

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE:
Domestic violence is a leading cause of injury to women, and includes pushing, shoving, punching, choking, rape, and attacks with weapons.  But domestic violence is not limited to physical abuse. It can also include limiting access to money, belittling, criticizing, threatening, extreme bossiness, overprotection, and neglect.

Domestic violence is a pattern of intimidating and coercive patterns which one partner uses by to control the thoughts, beliefs, and actions of the other. 

If you have been abused physically, verbally, or emotionally, NELCWIT's counselor-advocates can help.  Call our hotline (413-772-0806 or 888-249-0806) to set up an appointment, to join a support group, or to obtain other help. 

---

SUPPORT GROUPS (click here for a list of groups)
NELCWIT holds support groups throughout the year on topics like assertiveness, sexual assault, relationship issues, and more.   All groups are free and all groups are handicap accessible.  (Please call to inquire about accessibility arrangements.)  For more information, call 413-772-0806.

---

OUTREACH TO LATINAS:   
Se habla español -- llama 413-772-0871, x109.  Two NELCWIT staff members who are bilingual/bicultural Latinas are available specifically to work with Latinas in our community.  We offer crisis intervention and advocacy in cases of domestic violence and sexual assault and also provide outreach and community education to reach individuals who might not be aware of our services.   For more information, call 413-772-0871, x109.  Servicios de NELCWIT en español

---

SAFEPLAN: RESTRAINING ORDERS & SAFETY PLANNING  

Project SAFEPLAN is a court advocacy program for individuals seeking protection from domestic violence through the court system.  

NELCWIT's SAFEPLAN advocates are specially trained and certified to assist individuals who come to the Greenfield and Orange courts by:

• Helping them to understand their legal options

• Explaining the process to obtain a restraining order

• Helping them complete restraining order application forms

• Accompanying them to court

• Helping them to develop comprehensive individual safety plans

• Offering information and education about domestic violence

• Providing referrals to domestic violence programs, social services, and criminal justice agencies as needed

SAFEPLAN staff work closely with district attorney's offices, the courts, and other social service and criminal justice agencies to assist those dealing with domestic violence.  They are not attorneys and cannot give legal advice, but can refer to attorneys if needed.

SAFEPLAN is a partnership program between community-based domestic violence programs in Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Office of Victim Assistance.

For more information about NELCWIT's SAFEPLAN program call 413-772-0806 or 888-249-0806.

To find a SAFEPLAN advocate at a court in your area of Massachusetts, visit www.mass.gov/mova or call 617-727-5200.

---

legal consultation: 
NELCWIT can arrange for FREE half-hour legal consultations relating to domestic violence and sexual assault in civil (non-criminal) cases.  At these consultations attorneys can help you to fill in forms, demystify the court process, and answer your questions.  THEY CAN NOT REPRESENT YOU IN COURT, but they may be able to help you find representation.  For more information or to make an appointment, call 413-772-0806 or 888-249-0806.

---

FOR CHILDREN: 
Children are powerfully affected by violence, especially if the victim or perpetrator is a family member. Parents may hope or assume the child will forget, but even very young children remember traumatic events and are affected by them for years. Each year more than 3.3 million children witness domestic violence.

NELCWIT's Child Safe counselors use art and activities to work with children ages 3-17 who have been victims of or have witnessed domestic violence or sexual assault.  The counselors can meet with the children at our offices or in the child's home or school. They also offer advocacy and help with parenting skills to non-offending parents. 

For more information or to set up an appointment, call 413-772-0806 or 888-249-0806, and ask for an appointment with a children's counselor.

---

LGBT SERVICES:   
Domestic violence does happen in gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans relationships.  Batterers are all different.  You can't tell who the batterer is based on size, strength, economic status, or identities like butch/femme, top/bottom, etc.  Abuse can happen in any kind of intimate relationship.  

NELCWIT offers FREE short-term crisis counseling for LGBT people who have experienced abuse. If you or a friend may be experiencing abuse, please call!  Call 413-772-0806 in Franklin County MA, or 1-888-249-0806 toll-free.  The Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project, at 1-800-832-1901 also offers support.