As the community partner for the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital’s (RWJUH) HVIP, PRAB offers intensive community mental health counseling to program participants between the ages of 18-40, to provide healing and trauma-informed services for victims of crime. Called WAVE (Working together Against Violence to Empower), it is a comprehensive healing and client-centered program that encompasses triage, patient navigation and rapid response. It offers intensive, long-term case management and mental health counseling for patients admitted to the RWJ Trauma Service (i.e., Inpatient) for a traumatic injury resulting from community violence. It also includes the WAVE Community Consortium, consisting of a network of local partners that will expand resources and referral options, building a safety net for program participants.
At PRAB, victims of community violence receive trauma-informed and client-centered treatment from a clinical team, based on an evidence-based approach. They learn to maintain their psychological well-being and increase their resilience. Ultimately, they effectively re-enter their community and workplace and maintain healthy interpersonal relationships. We utilize a wrap-around approach that is focused on clinical services and meeting patients’ needs through internal referrals to other PRAB services and external referrals to our community partners.
Participating individuals must be a resident of Middlesex County, Franklin Township (Somerset County), or Plainfield (Union County). They also must be admitted to RWJ Trauma Service (i.e., Inpatient) for a traumatic injury resulting from community violence. The RWJ HVIP Team has the authority to make exceptions on a case-by-case basis regarding individual eligibility for the program. All services are free, funded through the NJ Office of the Attorney General/VOCA, and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
Services provided by HVIP @ PRAB include:
- Trauma informed/healing centered counseling
- Individual and group sessions
- Information and referrals to community resources and services