By: Bianca Gonzalez, Safe From the Start Program Supervisor

Susie, a 14-year-old girl, was sexually abused by a relative during a family party. She kept the abuse a secret, but the trauma of the abuse affected her in many areas of her life. Susie experienced symptoms of depression, sadness, isolation, and periods of uncontrollable crying spells. She also engaged in self-harming behaviors and refused to go to school. As a result, she had very few friends and suffered academically, which caused her to repeat the school year. She finally disclosed the sexual abuse and was referred to CAC's therapy program by her school.

In trauma therapy, she worked on building self-esteem and developing coping skills. She reprocessed her trauma utilizing EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), a specialized form of treatment, with her CAC therapist. It took a lot of work and courage to process the trauma. Through therapy, she rebuilt her self-worth, utilized coping skills, and stopped self-harming. She is proud of her work and has been able to develop friendships and accept support from family and friends. She has started attending school regularly and is now doing well academically.

By: Taylor Edmunds, Forensic Interviewer

The Forensic and Advocacy Team would like to spotlight Assistant State Attorneys Sergio Gomez and Heather Kent for their vital work in a jury trial that resulted in a guilty verdict. Heather and Sergio were tasked with selecting a jury and proving beyond a reasonable doubt that a child was sexually abused during the early years of her childhood by an extended family member. Before the trial, Heather and Sergio took the time to meet with the victim, siblings, and caregivers to thoughtfully prepare for their testimony and diligently ensure that all questions were answered. Sergio and Heather prepared the victim and her family beforehand, informing her of the questions the prosecution and defense would ask. In doing this, the victim became comfortable answering questions confidently as they helped equip her for the complex and emotional challenge.

During the trial, Heather and Sergio worked closely and tirelessly as a team to prove that the incidents of abuse occurred and remained trauma-informed while doing so. It can be difficult to consider the victim’s history of trauma while also trying to prove abuse occurred. Yet, Heather and Sergio adequately did so by showing the victim respect when she became emotional while testifying and by objecting to questions unfit for the victim to answer. Those same valuable efforts extended beyond the courtroom. Both Sergio and Heather visited with the victim and her family after the long days of the trial, checking in on the family emotionally and answering any questions they may have had along the way. This team’s careful approach with the family created a welcoming and safe environment, eliminating some discomfort many can feel when attending court proceedings.

We sincerely thank Sergio Gomez and Heather Kent for their dedication to this case. The immense time, care, and thoughtfulness they invested in the case, as shown by their outstanding work with the family, made a significant and positive impact. The four days of trial were long and tiring, but due to the exemplary effort set forth by Heather and Sergio, those long hours resulted in a verdict of guilty and allowed the victim to say she “finally feels safe after 10 years.” Thank you, Sergio Gomez and Heather Kent, for your passionate dedication to this work and caring consideration for victims.

In light of October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we wanted to highlight a resource that we use with our families to help them recognize the signs of an unhealthy or abusive relationship.

From the desk of the CEO

Melanie Pignotti, CEO

While the CAC provides essential services to child victims and witnesses of abuse and other violent crimes, it is important for the staff and Leadership team to receive feedback directly from clients. Each non-offending caregiver that brings their child to the center is offered a voluntary survey (Outcome Measurement Survey) to complete anonymously following their initial appointment. Data is collected, uploaded, and pulled quarterly for review. Comments and suggestions are welcomed for consideration to implement necessary changes to improve services. 

Kate Schultz, Director of Clinical Services, & Bianca Gonzalez, SFTS Program Supervisor

On September 23, CAC participated in District 59's Fall Festival & Vaccination Clinic for families where we passed out resources about body safety. They spoke to parents about the importance of teaching correct body parts and shared bookmarks with the 5 rules every child should know by age 5.

Kate Schultz, Director of Clinical Services, & Carrie Estrada, Executive Director of Northwest CASA

Nonprofit networking helps colleagues share our struggles and our strengths! CAC's Director of Development, Taylor Kanara, and Director of Clinical Services, Kate Schultz, attended Northwest Center Against Sexual Assault's open house at their Arlington Heights office where they connected with former CAC colleague and current NWCASA Executive Director, Carrie Estrada. Our agencies have similar services and use each other as a resource for our clients. We love our community partner network!

Tomorrow is CAC's Golf Outing at

Bridges of Poplar Creek!

Questions about the event? Contact Megan Younker at myounker@cachelps.org

Volume 44 | October 2023