PEACE Program for Children & Youth
Prevention. Education. Advocacy. Counselling. Empowerment.
Approximately two to six children and youth in every Canadian classroom have experienced and/or witnessed some form of abuse in the home over the past year.
These children and youth often experience the same types of emotional and behavioural problems experienced by those who have been abused themselves.
CVTS offers the PEACE Program for children and youth, aged 3 to 18, who have experienced and/or witnessed abuse.
The program helps children and youth to:
- Identify their feelings and express them in healthy ways.
- Recognize their strengths and increase their self-confidence.
- Understand what abuse is and that they are not responsible.
- Identify support networks and develop a safety plan.
- Explore stereotypes and myths about relationships and about violence in the media.
- Develop conflict resolution skills.
To learn more about the PEACE Program or to set up an appointment,
please call 250.897.0511.
Children & youth can self refer.
Referrals are also accepted from parents, caregivers, educators and other services providers.
The program offers:
- Individual counselling for children and youth;
- Group counselling for children and youth;
- Presentations to the community on the effects of exposure to abuse.
In 8-12 sessions, children, youth and their caregivers who access the program will learn to set goals and develop new skills to help them cope with the impact of their experiences.
If you are interested in setting up an appointment, download a copy of the PEACE Referral Form. Forms can be dropped off in person or mailed to Comox Valley Transition Society, 625 England Avenue, Courtenay, B.C., V9N 2N5, or sent by fax to 250 897-0595. Forms may also be emailed to peace@cvts.ca.
*This program was formerly known as the Children Who Witness Abuse (CWWA) Program.
What people are saying about the PEACE Program
We are grandparents raising a grandchild, and it was through accessing the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Circle that we found out about the PEACE Program for our grandson. He had witnessed a lot of violence as a baby and as a toddler and was having lots of problems. He started the program last year, and it has worked out so well! At first, he would only communicate through art, but once he learned that anything he told the counsellor would stay private, that she would not tell anyone and he could trust her, it made him feel confident.
He doesn’t have any more nightmares or night terrors, and other problems have gone away. It’s been phenomenal to see the confidence he has gained through the help he has received from the counsellor. Even during COVID-19, she was able to safely social distance and continue meeting with him outside. He was so impressed with her knowledge of birds and flowers! She was amazing, and he is the happy go lucky little fellow that he used to be.