Counseling Services with Victim's Compensation Benefits
How to utilize victim's compensation benefits for counseling.Victim Compensation Counseling Services at LifePaths Counseling Center
What is victim’s compensation?
Victim compensation counseling is a benefit available through the judicial districts (or counties) of Colorado, to people who have been the victim of a crime that was reported to law enforcement. At LifePaths, we have counselors who are approved through the counties of Jefferson, Arapahoe, Douglas, and Denver.
Here’s how it works:
If you have been the victim of a crime such as assault or domestic violence, when you report this crime with law enforcement they usually put you in touch with a victim’s advocate who will advise you on how to apply for victim’s compensation benefits. The advocate will help you get a copy of an application and may also give you some counselor names as well.
Once you complete an application and turn it in, you can start looking for a counselor who is approved through the county where the crime happened. You can also start seeing a counselor before your application is approved but your counselor may want copies of your application or other documents (like your police report) to do that. Sometimes it takes a few weeks to find out if you are approved, but when you are, you will receive a letter in the mail. Take that letter to your counselor.
You and your counselor will do a treatment plan, and your counselor will have to send this in to the county Crime Victim Compensation Board for another level of approval. The Board will need to approve the treatment plan, and although this can take more than a month sometimes, a counselor who is experienced in working with the counties in this way will have a pretty good idea of whether your treatment plan will be approved. You and your counselor will be notified by letter when you are approved. A lot of the time you won’t have to wait until you get this letter to keep seeing your counselor.
Although the number of sessions you can have through victim’s compensation are a little bit limited, this is an extremely valuable benefit. Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to get approval for multiple types of counseling, such as individual counseling, family counseling, group counseling, or EMDR counseling (EMDR is a type of therapy mainly used to help people heal from traumatic experiences).
We always encourage people to apply and utilize this benefit if at all possible. Victim compensation counseling gives you an opportunity to discuss how you are coping after a difficult situation, and get assistance from a professional counselor who is skilled in working with trauma.
We are happy to answer any questions you have, please contact us at the telephone number or email above.
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