Counseling Child and Adult Survivors in Times of COVID-19

Sanctuary for Families

Thanks to our staff and clients’ commitment, Sanctuary’s CFSP has been able to provide therapy and support to families despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ramifications of the shelter-in-place orders made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic have been universally challenging, particularly for children and those who support them. As New York shut down to stop the spread of coronavirus, staff and the families working with our Children and Family Services Program (CFSP) worried how the agency’s shift to remote service provision would impact their counseling sessions. Many clients lacked privacy at home, had little or no access to tech devices, and/or had limited internet and mobile data. However, our staff moved quickly—reaching out to families to determine the safest and most effective ways to communicate, developing safety plans, and purchasing communication and tech devices whenever possible—to ensure continued support while the program shifted to teletherapy. Today, six months into the pandemic, we are proud to share the ways in which CFSP has adapted and overcome these obstacles to make sure our clients could continue to attend counseling sessions in these times of greater need.

A counselor’s workspace at home.

During the first few weeks “there was a lot of hesitation and even anxiety with parents, kids, and staff” related to having counselors enter clients’ homes virtually, said Estrella Perez, our Clinical Supervisor at the Manhattan Family Justice Center. Before COVID-19, clients would come into our office where counselors would have full control of the environment. But doing virtual work “throws that control out the window,” says Ines Cano, Program Director of Sanctuary’s Non-Residential Services. Often times, she explains, there will be other family members present in the room where the client is engaging in virtual counseling. According to Kimberly Neill, CFSP Clinical Supervisor at our Manhattan Office, this lack of privacy has been one of the greatest challenges for clients who still share their home with an abusive family member.

Nonetheless, we have seen many positive outcomes emerge during these unprecedented times. The shift to virtual counseling has made it easier for clients—many of whom missed in-person sessions due to transportation issues—to meet with their counselor for their scheduled sessions with much more consistency. The families CFSP is working with “have also been able to share their homes with us and the things that they have there,” Kim said, helping counselors gain a deeper understanding of the obstacles and strengths their clients live with each day. In many cases, virtual counseling has helped folks feel more comfortable and be more open during sessions. “Some of the boundaries have been broken down,” she acknowledged, “and we are all being a little more our full selves all the time.”

“I brought up recently that our clients never say they are ‘fine’ anymore (a common answer for ‘How are you?’) Instead they are more honest about the highs and lows of their week. It is a terrible price to pay but there are positive things during this time too.” — Kimberly Neill, CFSP Clinical Supervisor 

When it comes to our younger clients, Ines says “there are sessions that are amazing and there are sessions that are full of challenges.” She says that various factors—like the child’s age, whether the space is conducive for the child to focus on the counselor, what equipment is being used, and a parent’s access to and comfort level with technology—play a role in how these go.  It’s difficult to engage kids ages 3-6 given their very short attention spans. At times, children will run around the room while the counselor is trying to speak to them over video or phone. “We often need parental assistance to engage with them,” Kim told us. “I have done a few sessions where I talk to a child who is doing a headstand during our meeting.” Of course, there are also wonderful moments that bring great joy to both kids and counselors. “Children have been excited to show us their spaces, toys, or siblings.” Ines shared. “It gives us insight into their lives in ways that we wouldn’t have had before.”

Counselors and clients made arts and crafts together in virtual counseling sessions.

With children in the 7-12 age range, our counselors have had greater success connecting through TheraPlatform, a teletherapy platform that provides games, interactive drawings, videos, and stories. Kim says working with older kids has been a lot easier as they “tend to know how to use the tech and are less likely to decide to show us the inside of their noses on video.” Some kids have felt a little self-conscious and preferred to do sessions over the phone rather than through video, but many have been excited to enter the counselor’s home and find that they are surviving COVID together.

Kim says that under this new framework, setting tech communication boundaries with clients has certainly been important. There have been situations that have pushed many counselors outside of their comfort zones, but Estrella and others say that, overall, navigating virtual counseling has been a bonding experience for counselors and clients. Ines even admits that at times, children have taught her how to use technology which in turn allows them to feel masterful and proud of themselves. According to Jenn Sanchez, CFSP Clinical Supervisor, the best part of it all is “being able to take joy in hearing some of [the kids] own success stories like making it through this crazy school year and still receiving passing grades or graduating.”

Virtual baking sessions to keep children engaged.

Overall, COVID-19 has pushed CFSP counselors and childcare providers “to think even more creatively about how we interact and the tools we have on hand,” according to Kim. Over the past few months, she and her team have worked tirelessly to create an online library of our in-office books to use with clients, as well as a public drive with information for families and activities for children. Echoing Kim, Jenn also spoke proudly about “all the creative ways that our team has pulled together to develop workshops, provide out resources, offer assistance to get particular supplies delivered to help our children keep some sense of enjoyment, normality, and structure in their lives.”

Staff delivered “Summer Survival Kits” to kids that included books, art supplies, frisbees, bubbles, and more.

Thanks to our staff and clients’ commitment, Sanctuary’s CFSP has been able to provide therapy and support to children and families experiencing or healing from the trauma of domestic violence, despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. “I can honestly say that I have been so inspired and hopeful with the work our CFSP staff have been able to achieve with clients,” Kim says, “and with the willingness of clients to continue to trust in us through hardship . . . I think in many ways this time has brought us closer, as we all recognize we are in this together, doing the best we can each day.”

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While Coronavirus has largely spared the young, children—especially those in low-income households—stand to bear the brunt of the pandemic’s long-term impacts. We extend our profound gratitude to French-American Aid For Children for its extraordinary 2-year grant to help us meet a wide range of emotional, health, and urgent basic needs of children recovering from the trauma of abuse amidst the pandemic, as well as other generous funders who help make Sanctuary’s Children & Families Services Program possible, including support for the transition to remote clinical services during COVID-19:

The Betty & Leo Balzereit Foundation
Breaking the Cycle Foundation
Child Welfare Fund
The Leir Foundation
The Marks Family Foundation
Monday.com
The NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund
The Joseph Leroy & Ann C. Warner Fund
Sony Corporation of America
The Sunshine Foundation

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Learn more about Sanctuary’s Children & Family Services here.

Celebrating our Spanish Career Readiness Workshop Graduates

Sanctuary for Families

Program graduates were celebrated for their extraordinary work in the midst of the pandemic and were congratulated by Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance who kindly joined us for the zoom graduation.

For centuries, immigrants and refugees have been making their way to New York City, settling across the five boroughs, working countless hours, and making sacrifices to provide their families with a chance at a better life. Their belief in the American dream, cultural traditions, and labor have made our country richer and stronger. Though this has always been the American story, it’s one our country has repeatedly disavowed – especially in recent years.

This dichotomy was underscored during our recent Economic Empower Program’s (EEP) Spanish Career Readiness Workshop graduation. For four weeks over the summer, 24 gender violence survivors logged into Zoom in order to complete an abbreviated and remote version of EEP’s signature program in Spanish. At a time when our federal government is actively working to prevent immigration from Central and South America and cut supportive services for immigrants and undocumented folks – all amidst a pandemic and economic recession – programs like our Spanish CRW have never been more critical.

Sanctuary began offering the Spanish CRW in 2018. Working with many monolingual Spanish-speaking immigrants over the years, EEP staff had long recognized the need for clients to have at least a minimum level of English proficiency in order to enter New York City’s complex labor market. While it’s possible to survive in the City without basic English skills, the living wage labor market and potential for career advancement still demand solid English speaking, writing, and reading skills.

The Spanish CRW was and continues to be EEP’s solution to this problem, combining ESOL classes with professional development instruction and computer skills training in Spanish—an innovative approach to meeting the workforce development needs of Spanish-speaking domestic violence and trafficking survivors. Emphasizing the importance of English fluency as a stepping stone to succeeding in the living-wage job market, the Spanish CRW offers Spanish-speaking survivors the much-needed opportunity to secure their rightful place in New York City’s 21st Century economy.

Graduates of the Spanish CRW shared what the last four weeks meant to them:

“Thank you for providing me with the fundamental steps needed to fulfill my professional goals… After taking the program, I now believe that I have a bright future and that nothing is too late. [EEP team], you all impacted my life for good and subsequently my kids’ lives as well. I now hear my kids saying things like ‘Mommy, I want to learn too what you’re learning,’ ‘Mommy, learn as much as you can so that you can have a very good job like all of the moms,’ … ‘You look beautiful when you smile every day,’ ‘You can do it Mommy,’ ‘Si se puede, Mommy.’” – Anonymous

“Gracias por brindarme los pasos fundamentales necesarios para cumplir con mis objetivos profesionales… después de tomar el programa, ahora creo que tengo un futuro brillante y que nada es demasiado tarde. [Equipo de EEP], todos ustedes impactaron mi vida para siempre y, posteriormente, también la vida de mis hijos. Ahora escucho a mis hijos decir cosas como: ‘Mami, yo también quiero aprender lo que estás aprendiendo,’ ‘Mami aprende todo lo que puedas para que tú también puedas tener un muy buen trabajo como otras mamás,’ ‘Te ves hermosa cuando sonríes todos los días,’ ‘Puedes hacerlo mami’ ‘¡Si se puede, mami!’ – Anonymous

“[EEP has] given me the tools and the opportunity to transform my life, and my daughters’ lives, and give me hope for a better life that I thought was loss at the hands of my experience with domestic violence…” – Yoana M.

“[EEP me ha] dado las herramientas y la oportunidad para transformar mi vida y la vida de mis hijas, y me ha dado esperanza de una mejor vida que pensé se había perdido en manos de mi experiencia de violencia doméstica . . .” – Yoana M.

Reflecting on the immense challenges New York City is facing, Program Director Angelo J. Rivera shared:

“So many people have come to New York for hundreds of years, started their life over again, have gone on to do great things, and made the world a better place… and now it is our turn. In this very difficult time for this City it is our turn and that means it’s also your turn too.”

“Tantas personas han venido a Nueva York durante cientos de años, han comenzado sus vidas de nuevo, han hecho grandes cosas y han hecho del mundo un lugar mejor … y ahora es nuestro turno. En estos tiempos tan difíciles para esta ciudad llega nuestro turno y eso quiere decir que es tu turno también.”  

Graduates were also congratulated by District Attorney Cyrus Vance whose office funded Sanctuary’s Economic Empowerment Program.

“Regardless of the challenges that laid ahead of you as you entered this program, you did it, all 24 of you. You seized the opportunity to empower yourselves and profoundly change your lives…The courage, the hard work, the dedication, the emotional strength that you have shown in your lives and through your work in this program indicates that your future is going to be bright.”

“Sin importar los retos que se avecinaban cuando ustedes entraban en este programa, ustedes lo hicieron, cada una de las veinticuatro. Aprovecharon la oportunidad para empoderarse y cambiar profundamente sus vidas … El coraje, el trabajo duro, la dedicación, la fortaleza emocional que han demostrado en sus vidas y a través de su trabajo en este programa demuestran que su futuro será brillante.”

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These are difficult times for so many across New York City and around the country, but particularly for immigrant survivors of gender violence. We extend our gratitude to the District Attorney for joining our celebration and supporting this critical work, as well as the many others who make our Economic Empowerment Program possible:

Capital One Foundation
Clark Foundation
First Republic Bank
Gerstner Family Foundation
Harry & Jeannette Weinberg Foundation
Helen Wolk Foundation
Herbert M. Citrin Charitable Foundation
Investors Foundation
JRM Construction Management
Macy’s Foundation
Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Criminal Justice Investment Initiative
New York City Council
New York City Human Resources Administration
New York State Department of Labor
Nurmi Family Foundation
Peter & Mary Levin Family Foundation
Tides Foundation
Tiger Foundation

 

We look forward to sharing more stories as our graduates continue with ESOL classes and our four-month intensive Office Operations Workshop.

Paul Weiss Helps Domestic Violence Survivor Overturn Court Order, Remain in Apartment

Sharon Barbour

At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary is honoring a team of attorneys from Paul Weiss for their tireless pro bono work on behalf of “Lisa,” a survivor of domestic violence facing court-ordered exclusion from her apartment.

Sharon Barbour is an associate at Cohen & Gresser and co-chair of Sanctuary’s Pro Bono Council. 

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At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary is honoring a team of attorneys from Paul Weiss for their tireless pro bono work on behalf of “Lisa,” a survivor of domestic violence facing court-ordered exclusion from her apartment. The team consisted of partner Dave Brown; associates Sofia Reive, Katarina Broeksmit, and Luke Phillips; former associates Mahalia Boyd and Lance Polivy; and former paralegal Erin Nunes. 

For years, Sanctuary’s client Lisa endured an unimaginable situation in her own home, a rent-controlled apartment where she had lived since childhood.  Her family had been fractured by domestic violence.  As children, Lisa and her siblings witnessed their father violently abuse their mother, which left lasting trauma on the entire family.  Lisa’s sister, Nina, who was in an extremely abusive relationship, ultimately killed her batterer and was sentenced to two decades in prison.  Lisa left college to care for Nina’s children.  Back in her childhood home, Lisa faced psychological abuse by her brother, who had learned how to abuse from their father.

By 2017, Lisa was in poor health and unable to work.  Her brother had his own home but, seeking a buy-out from the building’s management, launched a vicious campaign to force Lisa out of hers.  He installed cameras in the apartment to monitor Lisa’s every move and left menacing notes, threatening her and disparaging her with racist and misogynistic names.  He even went so far as to install a roommate in the apartment without Lisa’s permission to monitor and harass her.  He eventually obtained an order of protection based on spurious claims that Lisa abused him and that the apartment was his only residence.  Claiming that Lisa violated the order of protection, he sought a court order excluding her from the apartment.

In July 2017, after Sanctuary successfully advocated for parole on behalf of Lisa’s sister Nina, Lisa approached Sanctuary for legal assistance.  Sanctuary contacted Paul, Weiss about representing Lisa pro bono.  Mahalia Boyd, then a Paul, Weiss associate, jumped at the opportunity.  Because domestic violence is often understood to involve romantic partners rather than siblings, “that made me want to learn more about those issues and how to protect someone in that space because I don’t think it gets enough attention,” Mahalia said.

The Paul, Weiss team, which included Mahalia, partner Dave Brown, associate Sofia Reive, former associate Lance Polivy, associate Katarina Broeksmit, associate Luke Phillips, and former paralegal Erin Nunes, fought for over two years to keep Lisa in her home.  For the team, Lisa’s success felt personal.  As Sofia put it, “the stakes could not have been higher, since she was in such fragile health and was at risk of becoming homeless.”  “We felt that pressure personally,” Lance said.

The team worked tirelessly with Lisa to prepare for trial.  The team prepared Lisa to testify about years of abuse by her brother and undertook thorough investigative work to expose the brother’s lies.  “It was really important for us to establish trust with Lisa at the beginning,” said Mahalia.  “Lisa started to feel like she was really heard and could contribute to the success of her case.”

During the highly contested year-long trial, as a result of careful preparation and skillful direct examination, the team exposed the brother’s abusive behavior and undermined his credibility.  Yet inexplicably, the court found in favor of Lisa’s brother and ordered Lisa’s exclusion.  The team immediately sought an emergency stay of the exclusion order from the Appellate Division, which was denied.  Undeterred, the team filed an emergency appeal of the denial of the stay, which a full panel of the Appellate Division granted.  The team then briefed an appeal of the family court order on the merits.  After oral argument in September 2019, the Appellate Division overturned the portion of the family court order that excluded Lisa from the apartment.  Finally, after years of hard work, Lisa’s right to stay in her home was secured.

“I am forever grateful to this extraordinary group of lawyers. Their skill and dedication kept me in my home and gave me hope.” — Lisa, survivor.

The team likewise expressed great admiration for Lisa.  “Lisa is a fighter,” said Lance, who praised Lisa for attending school and volunteering at a senior center while coping with an extremely difficult home situation and working on her litigation defense.  “Each time she left [the apartment], she was taking a risk that her belongings would be thrown out in the street, as they had in the past.  On top of this, she spent many long days meeting with the Paul, Weiss team to go over everything and prepare for her trial.” As Dave observed, “We had a better outcome because she was so invested in this process.”  Sofia added, “During several years working closely with Lisa, I was astounded by her courage and resilience – never more so than in the days following an exclusion order by the lower court.”  Mahalia agreed, noting that “despite everything that happened to her, she tried to be positive and . . . make the best of her situation.  It was really inspiring to see that come out and shine through her.”

Reflecting on the successful outcome—the result of intensive factual development, trial preparation, direct examination, motion practice, post-trial submissions, and multiple appellate briefs—Dave said that the case “really highlighted the broad base of skills that Paul, Weiss can bring to bear.  Fortunately, we had the ability to bring all of that to the table to help Lisa.”  He added that he was “really happy to continue the legacy of Paul, Weiss’s support of Sanctuary.” 

For Sofia, “It was invaluable to work on this matter from start to finish: through trial, an emergency stays, and, finally, to a successful appeal.  Ultimately, though, keeping Lisa in her home and turning back her abuser was far and away the most rewarding aspect of the case.  This experience was only possible through our firm’s commitment to pro bono representation and longstanding partnership with Sanctuary for Families.”  Lance echoed these sentiments, noting, “There’s nothing more gratifying than using our legal training to help those in need.  That was what this case was all about.”

“The team never stopped fighting.  We didn’t give up.  This was a case of perseverance.” — Dave Brown, partner, Paul Weiss.

Dorchen Leidholdt, Director of Legal Services at Sanctuary for Families, said “It was perseverance coupled with strategic brilliance and top-notch lawyering skills that [the Paul Weiss team] used every step of the way.” She praised each member of the team for being “committed, hardworking, and talented,” calling their work on Lisa’s behalf “extraordinary.”  Dorchen further noted that, because Lisa suffers from multiple chronic illnesses and would have been rendered homeless in the midst of the ongoing COVID pandemic, “They prevented a catastrophe for the client.  It was life-saving.”

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Join us at our virtual Above & Beyond virtual celebration on October 29, 2020, as we honor the outstanding pro bono work of Dave, Mahalia, Sofia, Lance, Katarina, Luke, and Erin. Click here to RSVP for free.

If you can’t join us, but would like to support Sanctuary for Family’s work, please consider making an Above & Beyond donation here.

Paul Hastings Team Helps Young Siblings Secure Special Status, Avoid Deportation

Louisa Irving

At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary for Families is honoring a team of attorneys from Paul Hastings for their persistent advocacy in helping Alejandra and Diego successfully petition for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (“SIJS”) and continue on the path toward obtaining legal permanent resident status in the United States.

Louisa Irving is an attorney and a member of Sanctuary’s Pro Bono Council. 

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At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary is honoring a team of attorneys from Paul Hastings for their persistent advocacy in helping Alejandra and Diego successfully petition for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (“SIJS”), thereby allowing these siblings to avoid deportation and continue on the path toward obtaining legal permanent resident status in the United States.  The team consisted of Paul Hastings Senior Counsel & Global Pro Bono Chair Brian P. Morgan, Of Counsel Susan Wade, Associate Eduardo Gonzalez, and Associate Zachary S. Zwillinger; as well as former associates Jeanette Kang (now an AUSA) and Aisling Murray (now at O’Melveny & Myers LLP).

In mid-2016, siblings Alejandra and Diego arrived at the southern border of the United States with their mother and another sibling, after courageously making the journey from their home in Guatemala to escape life-threatening violence, verbal, and emotional abuse by their father.  After being released from detention on the border, this family unit traveled to New York in search of stability and security.  Alejandra and Diego’s mother found work and began to build a new life for her children.  She connected with immigration attorneys at Sanctuary for Families, who placed her case with the team at Paul Hastings.  The team from Paul Hastings continues to work on a domestic violence-based asylum claim on behalf of Alejandra and Diego’s mother, listing her children as derivative beneficiaries, but is being honored now for its zealous and compassionate advocacy helping Alejandra and Diego secure SIJ Status.

In the spring of 2019, the team from Paul Hastings started preparing tandem SIJS cases for Alejandra, now 10 years old, and Diego, now 19 years old.  First, the team obtained Guardianship and Special Findings Orders from Queens Family Court.  This was no easy feat and required three grueling hearings before a Referee who asked pointed questions of Alejandra, Diego, and their mother.  The team made it a priority to both prepare the family for what to expect during these hearings, and to debrief with the family following these adversarial and emotionally-difficult hearings.  After obtaining the predicate Guardianship and Special Findings Orders, the team from Paul Hastings filed SIJS applications on behalf of Alejandra and Diego with USCIS and received approvals in June 2020.  The indefatigable and effective advocacy of the team from Paul Hastings lifted the threat of deportation that loomed over this family.  Now, Alejandra and Diego are able to enjoy the stability and tranquility of a life their mother courageously fought to give them.

Pooja Asnani, Director of Sanctuary’s Immigration Intervention Project, who nominated the team from Paul Hastings, described them as incredibly dedicated and “undeterred” in the face of very challenging circumstances in Queens Family Court.  For Paul Hastings, it was a true team effort as this pro bono team was comprised of experienced and more junior litigators, as well as corporate attorneys.  The team worked closely and concurrently on the asylum and SIJS matters, and were amazed by the support from Sanctuary staff, who they described as “phenomenal people.”

In the words of Corporate Department Associate Eduardo Gonzalez, who has worked with Sanctuary on a number of immigration cases, the best part of this work is “sharing the good news with the client and seeing the relief and joy in their eyes.”

 “That’s why I will always do immigration work. . . It is such a refreshing change of pace to be touching someone’s life.”  — Eduardo Gonzalez, Associate. 

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Join us at our virtual Above & Beyond virtual celebration on October 29, 2020, as we honor Paul Hasting’s outstanding pro bono work. Click here to RSVP for free.

If you can’t join us, but would like to support Sanctuary for Family’s work, please consider making an Above & Beyond donation here.