The Anti-Violence Partnership has, since the start of the new year, had a new Executive Director. Tracey Thomasey, LSW, MSS, MLSP, takes the place of Interim ED Julie Rausch, who held the role during the hiring process.

Ms. Thomasey previously served as Director of Social Work at the Support Center for Child Advocates, where she supervised a staff of 20 social workers who annually advocated for over 1,000 victims of child abuse and neglect. Moving to the Anti-Violence Partnership, Ms. Thomasey notes she’s especially looking forward to raising the agency’s profile in order to serve more people.

“I was introduced to AVP about 10 years ago when I was a child advocate for a sibling group of four children who were witnesses to a homicide,” Ms. Thomasey says. “I had the opportunity to work with AVP’s clinical staff, who were providing services to the children as well as other family members. I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of services the family was receiving, as well as how interested the clinical team was in working together with the advocacy team. Since that case resolved, I have often referred families to AVP but I have always wondered why so few providers in Philadelphia seem to know about the high quality services provided by AVP. It would be great if more people in the community knew that we have licensed clinicians available to see clients in mulitple locations at no cost with a minimal waiting list and no insurance necessary!”

Expansions to the Anti-Violence Partnership’s clinical services and its Youth Outreach Program, which currently puts psychoeducational groups in 16 Philadelphia schools, are planned for the future.