dont-hit

There may be many folks in the Carbon & Emery County area who may not know about a local program called DontHit.org which provides a safe, no strings attached support to those directly or indirectly impacted by crimes of an intimate nature. Castle Country Radio was able to sit down with Carbon County Sheriff’s Detective, Walley Hendricks to get to know more about this program.

Hendricks learned early on in his career how folks react differently when they’ve been directly or indirectly impacted by crimes of an intimate nature. “I started finding that these people are coming from a different place when they are talking about being harmed. I also learned that if I dealt with this person as a Peace Officer, the same way I would deal with you if you had a battery stolen, I was not getting a result. I actually started realizing I was hurting these people. So over the course of the years, I learned how to deal with people in a different way and I started learning that there’s a concept that started developing it’s called Well-meaning Harm,” said Detective Hendricks. He felt as though he was supposed to be helping these individuals but in some cases was causing more harm. He would find out from feed back that the person wasn’t sure what was worse the actual crime or having to speak with someone in authority about the incident.

It wasn’t until he mentored a fellow officer that he realized the technique he had developed over the years could be taught to others. “So I had to take it out of a gut feeling thing over the course of years started teaching him, and we realized this way of being with people can be taught, it can be learned. Not only can we help other law enforcement professionals understand this. We can help instinctive support people, mom, dads, friends and co-workers and neighbors. One thing we know, is when a person shares, they’ve been harmed in an intimate way, everyone around them acts differently, because you really don’t know what to say, and we have learned that is where the name DontHit came from is don’t hit by telling somebody they’re going to be okay, when they see no way in the world, they’re going to be okay,” stated Detective Hendricks. The vision statement for DontHit.org is to provide safe, anonymous, no strings attached resources that help break the cycle of isolation, frustration and hopelessness of survivors, loved ones and providers of intimate crimes.

They are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that gathers donations to help with services. Such services that DontHit.org assists with is paying to certify therapists in the latest trauma-informed therapeutic techniques, helping bridge the financial gap for children who need therapy and to the operations of DontHit.org. “We actually raise money to help therapists pay the tuition and cost to get qualified to help our victims with specifically emotional, psychological, trauma. We’ve seen that grow in our community now where our therapists have another bag, another tool in their bag. They’re reporting to us they’re seeing wonderful results with the people they are working with. We’re seeing with that person a marked improvement and progress. So that is what DontHit.org is about. Let’s help instinctive supports – moms, dads, uncles, nieces and best friends, sisters and brothers, lets help them to know to help somebody that needs help in the right way,” stated Detective Henricks. To learn more about the DontHit.org program visit their website or reach out for help by calling (435) 650-8524.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DONTHIT.ORG

 

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