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CARE to Stop Violence

Your well-being and healing is our priority.  

Campus Advocates Respond and Educate to Stop Violence (CARE) keeps information private and confidential.  You can tell us as much or as little as you want to; you can even be anonymous. CARE is not an official reporting entity; we are a resource that can help you navigate your options and connect you with the appropriate resources.

Hours & Contact

Mon-Fri: 8:30am-5:00pm

Sat & Sun: Closed

Appointment Needed

Phone: 301.314.2222

Crisis Line: 301.741.3442

Email: uhc-care@umd.edu

Nate Burk, Assistant Director

Bri Hayes, Assistant Coordinator for Outreach and Assessment

Cecilia Brickerd, LCSW-C, Therapist

Charlotte Sheffield, BS, Assistant Coordinator

Christina Jay, LCPC, Coordinator for Advocacy and Therapy

Emily Watkins (Biery), MSWQ, LMSW, Assistant Coordinator

Grace Fansler Boudreau

Katie O'Mailey, LCSW-C, RYT, Therapist and Advocate

Rajan Parikh, MPS, MPH, Coordinator for Prevention Education

CARE Office Winter Operations

The CARE to Stop Violence crisis line will be nonoperational beginning Tuesday, December 24 and the CARE office will be closed beginning Tuesday, December 24.

On Thursday, January 2 the office will reopen. The crisis line will be operational during business hours. After hours, callers will be provided with community resources via our crisis line voicemail. On Monday, January 27, the crisis line will resume 24/7 coverage.

If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, please call 911.

Advocacy and Therapy Services:

In-person and virtual advocacy and therapy appointments are available for clients Monday through Friday, 8:30am-5pm. 

  • Email uhc-care@umd.edu to schedule your appointment. 
    • If you choose to have a virtual session, you will then be sent some paperwork to fill out prior to your appointment. 
    • If your session is in-person, you will have some paperwork to fill out at our office.

During winter, CARE advocates staff the free and confidential CARE Crisis Line, Monday through Friday, 8:30am-5pm.

  • Contact the Crisis line by calling (301) 741-3442 

Other Resources are Available:

  • The National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-656-4673.
  • If you're in need of a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE), please contact Adventist Healthcare: Shady Grove Medical Center at (240) 826-6225. This line is available 24/7. 
  • If you're having a mental health emergency, please call 988.
Prevention Education & Outreach Services:

Services are available both in-person and virtually throughout the summer. 

The CARE office will be closed during University Holidays.

**Text is not a HIPPA secure form of communication. Please call if able.

Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA) or attempted assault occurs when substances are used to decrease an individual’s ability to consent to sexual activity, sometimes without the person’s knowledge. Although many substances can be used in DFSA, the most common is alcohol. Alcohol may be used alone or in combination with other substances.

 

MORE INFORMATION ON DFSA

Advocacy, Education, and Outreach Services

CARE to Stop Violence provides free, confidential advocacy and therapy services to primary and secondary survivors of sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking, and sexual harassment, while simultaneously empowering the campus community to prevent violence through educational presentations, events, and outreach activities. 

How We Help

Advocacy

CARE Advocacy is a free and confidential resource provided by trained mental health staff and advocates.  

The advocate’s role is to provide you with emotional support in a safe and judgment-free environment. By speaking with an advocate, you can begin to process feelings you may find confusing, overwhelming and even frightening at times. They can also refer you to various resources both on and off campus that you may find helpful as you begin your journey.

Although every advocacy session is different, a typical session may last 30-45 mins. You are not limited to just one visit to CARE. You can visit the office as many times as needed in order to obtain the emotional support and resources you desire.

In addition to providing emotional support/crisis intervention, advocates can assist you in many other ways. Advocates can:

  • Assist in explaining and connecting you with your reporting options. These options include University of Maryland Police Department (UMPD) and community law enforcement as well as the Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct (OCRSM) 
  • Provide support when you attend meetings with law enforcement and OCRSM if needed
  • Assist you in obtaining a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) at UM Capital Region Medical Center or a Sexual Assault Focused Exam at the Health Center (available for all genders)
  • Assist you in obtaining a Peace and Protective Order through the courts 
  • Assist in providing temporary housing placement
  • Refer you to community legal assistance
  • Assist you in scheduling short term therapy with a CARE therapist and/or provide community mental health referrals
  • Provide limited academic support
  • Provide limited financial assistance (example: rent, food, medical costs related to the traumatic event)
  • Support family and friends  

*Please note: As of September 2021, walk-in appointments are no longer available. To make a same-day in-person or virtual appointment with a CARE advocate, please email uhc-care@umd.edu.

Therapy

CARE Therapy is centered around honoring victims, survivors, witnesses, and supporters affected by power-based violence, in a validating, de-pathologized, and safe manner. CARE Therapy offers holistic and inclusive trauma-informed treatment approaches based in resourcing, reframing, and normalizing the effects of trauma, and focuses on bolstering internal safety, identifying realistic coping strategies, and reclaiming parts of life that feel lost.

Our CARE Therapists are experienced in a diverse range of therapeutic modalities including Solution Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). CARE Therapy embraces the perspective that you are the expert on your life, and we strive to help you skillfully access your own inner wisdom through creative coping skills and empowering processing techniques, in a culturally sensitive, appropriately paced, and safe manner.

Seeking Help

We at CARE understand that seeking help of any kind after a traumatic event can be extremely difficult and frightening. In seeking help, there is often self blame and fear of judgment. You may have had uncomfortable experiences in the past when you tried to seek help from other resources. The decision of if and when to obtain help is very personal. Please know that CARE is here to support you and that it’s never too late to seek help.

Prevention Education

The CARE Prevention Education team works to provide students, faculty, and staff with the skills needed to prevent violence. Staff and student educators are highly skilled facilitators, thoroughly trained in presenting free, trauma-informed, unbiased workshops to students, faculty, and staff. Educators are thoroughly trained in providing engaging in-person and virtual presentations to classrooms, student organizations, residence halls, and departments!

Outreach

The CARE Outreach team specializes in collaborating with groups and departments to plan and execute events, programs, and other outreach activities. The CARE Outreach Team is available in-person and virtually to make an informal announcement about CARE, debrief a movie, program, or speaker, serve on a panel, table at your event, and present on the CARE office. Our office can also assist you with planning your own event, workshop, or program. 

Please visit our Get Educated and Involved section to learn more about our education and outreach services and how to request them!

We understand that the intersections of trauma and identity impact every aspect of a survivor’s experience with violence, access to resources, and journey toward healing. CARE is committed to providing inclusive and anti-racist services for all members of the UMD community.

Resources

We believe and support survivors.

Choosing to Report to the Title IX Office
The University of Maryland is committed to providing resources and options for those impacted by sexual assault, dating or domestic violence. View the University of Maryland’s Sexual Misconduct Policy at ocrsm.umd.edu. According to Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, sexual harassment is prohibited. Under Title IX, sexual assault is considered a form of sexual harassment. CARE advocates can assist with learning more about this process. 

If you choose to report, the University of Maryland’s Title IX Coordinator can be reached at:

Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct 

Address: 3101 Susquehanna Hall

University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742

Phone: (301) 405-1142 

Email: TitleIXCoordinator@umd.edu

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