Available any time, day or night, 365 days a year, the Crisis Hotline is a confidential way for survivors to contact Riverview Center for help. Whether it is their first time requesting assistance, reaching out for support during a flashback or making a counseling appointment, the Hotline is the best way to get ahold of us.
Survivor Services
Riverview Center offers 100% free and confidential services for survivors of sexual violence in Iowa, and for survivors of sexual and domestic violence in Illinois. Services include 24-hour crisis hotlines, legal, medical and social service advocacy, long- and short-term counseling, trauma-informed therapy, transition and basic needs assistance, and more. Care is specialized and client-centered based on an individual’s unique needs and circumstances.
Legal, Medical and General Advocacy
We believe you. You are not alone.
Advocates support survivors. Survivors determine the course of their care based on their unique needs and circumstances. Advocates and survivors work together to achieve the goals identified by survivors in their individualized service plans.
Advocates support survivors during legal proceedings and medical exams and help connect survivors with the resources they require to meet their basic needs because we understand trauma can impact every facet of an individual’s life. It is their legal right, as the survivor of a crime, to have an advocate by their side as they navigate the criminal justice system. Riverview Center can also accompany the survivor to the hospital, should they decide to receive medical care following sexual abuse or assault. Advocates provide information for survivors for all available options and never push survivors toward a certain plan of action. From standing with survivors in the courtroom to finding safe housing, advocates are client-centered in everything they do.
Therapy and Counseling
Riverview Center offers counseling and therapy to survivors of sexual violence in Iowa and to survivors of sexual and/or domestic violence in Illinois. When a survivor decides that counseling or therapy is part of their healing journey, they are given choices. Riverview Center therapists create service plans based on the needs and wishes of the client, including treatment goals that the therapist and survivor agree on. Therapists will never force a survivor to discuss experiences that they are not ready to talk about; instead, therapists guide the survivor toward their picture of healing at the survivor’s pace.
Therapy and counseling services are available for child, teen and adult survivors, and for friends and family of the survivor. Sessions can be one-on-one, with family or in a group setting, depending on the client’s preference and comfort level. Therapy and counseling take place within the privacy of our offices or in an agreed upon, confidential location in the community that is convenient and comfortable for the survivor.
Each session is centered by the needs and wishes of the client, including goals, types of therapy methods, and timeline. While one survivor may need a place to discuss their experience in a safe environment, another may benefit from using art or sand tray therapy to process the abuse. This service may last weeks, months, or years, depending on the survivor’s needs. The path to healing is not linear; rather, it takes a unique shape for each survivor.
If you are a survivor seeking help from Riverview Center for the first time, please call the Riverview Center office nearest you, or reach us by the hotline. We will set up a time for you to meet with an advocate or counselor in your area. All services are completely free and confidential. We believe you. We support you. We will be here when you’re ready.