WPS Services
Anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you.
-Misty Copeland
We are with you every step of the way.
Women’s Protective Services of Lubbock
Women’s Protective Services of Lubbock, Inc., or WPS, is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization specializing in advocacy for women, men, and children who have experienced domestic violence. WPS has been serving Lubbock, TX, and the surrounding communities since 1978.
The services provided at WPS are free and confidential. Services are available without regard to race, sex, handicap, national origin, color, religion, sexual orientation, or income.
Our purpose and objectives are to provide a safe environment, offer community education, prevention, rehabilitation of violent family members, encourage the transition to self-sufficiency, and advocate for the prevention and elimination of family violence.
This is but a brief glimpse into what we offer victims of family violence and members of our community daily.
- 24-Hour Crisis Hotline
- Shelter, Food, Clothing, and Transportation
- Individual and Group Therapy
- Support Groups
- Parent Education
- Children’s Programs
- Assistance in Obtaining Legal Services
- Assistance in Obtaining Social Services
- Court Accompaniment
- Welfare to Work/Job Readiness Program
- Community Education
- Batterer’s Intervention and Prevention Program
Crisis Intervention
Our Crisis Intervention Department operates a 24-Hour, 365/year Crisis Hotline that assesses callers’ need for residential or non-residential services, arranges emergency transportation to the shelter, and monitors our shelter’s security systems for any potential threats to our clients and staff. The Crisis Intervention staff participates in safety planning for each client, offers understanding and support, provides case management services, and informs our clients of any alternate resource assistance. Crisis Intervention staff are active advocates in each of our clients’ daily lives to ensure that they are safe and that growth continues to be fostered at WPS.
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As our services require our shelter to remain open 24/7, there are always at least two Advocates on-site to take care of Hotline, our client’s needs, and the safety of our facility.
Our Crisis Intervention staff is highly trained in de-escalation, informal counseling, crisis communication, safety and security procedures, emergency weather procedures, intruder threats, medical and mental health intervention, and law enforcement intervention.
Counseling
Individual counseling for a survivor of domestic violence is most often a good idea. It can be beneficial for a survivor to seek help from a counselor to understand the pattern of violence in the relationship, address the traumatic experiences, and find seek out healthy ways to cope and heal. A domestic violence survivor often suffers from stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, anger, or low self-esteem. Speaking with someone licensed and knowledgeable in addressing these issues is almost always comforting and will relieve these symptoms.
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Individual counseling can help survivors see more clearly through the trauma they have experienced and learn to recognize their strengths, minimizing any negative beliefs about themselves they have learned through their abusive relationship.
Group counseling for a survivor of domestic violence provides support and allows survivors to recognize that they are not alone. Group sessions are always confidential and enable survivors to empower each other and find strength within their community. Group counseling also helps normalize the survivor’s feelings and experiences — further allowing for healing and growth.
WPS provides individual therapeutic counseling services by trained Master’s and Doctorate Degree level staff to victims of family violence accessing our Center’s services.
The client has daily access to therapeutic counseling services. WPS therapeutic counseling services do not promote any religion or require residents or non-residents to participate in religious groups or use religious materials.
WPS will develop written individual services plans with the resident or non-resident and reflect upon the resident’s or non-resident’s particular needs.
WPS Therapeutic Counseling Services will not include probing for weakness, diagnosing, or labeling. Our dedicated staff and volunteers will respect the culture and beliefs of each victim of family violence.
WPS will network with local mental health providers to encourage reduced rates or donated services for survivors of family violence who need any services beyond the cope of WPS.
If you or someone you know in the Lubbock region has been in an abusive relationship and would benefit from any counseling services, please do not hesitate to call our 24-Hour, confidential Crisis Hotline at (806) 748-5292.
Community Outreach and Education
Women’s Protective Services provides presentations to civic groups, organizations, businesses, and others upon request. These presentations describe the services offered to victims at WPS and educate the public on Domestic Violence and the role of the community in ending Domestic Violence. Spanish presentations are also available upon request.
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Expect Respect, our Dating Violence Program, is designed for junior high and high school students in schools and organizations across our twelve county service area. The program includes information about emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, characteristics of violent behavior, a video by teens about abuse and its effects, a questionnaire for students on whether they may be victims, and resources for victims of dating violence. This presentation is a one-hour to two-hour or weekly session.
Active Listening Skill Training is for volunteer training programs in the WPS twelve county service area. The focus of the program is to teach active listening skills to volunteers in all areas of crisis intervention and provide support and options for survivors of family violence. This program is often requested for presentation to law enforcement officers for the South Plains Association of Governments.
Family Violence Training for Court-Ordered Treatment Facility Residents is provided to residents of court-ordered treatment facilities. This program is the first male-oriented program for training and groups. The program gives an overview of family violence, recognizes characteristics of batterers, and focuses on the issues of power and control in relationships. This program aims to provide a 6 to 8 week series on specific issues of family violence at the Lubbock County Corrections Facility and the Brownfield Regional Court Ordered Treatment Facility.
The Emotional Abuse Program focuses on the cycle of violence, how emotional abuse affects self-esteem, self-perception, issues of power & control, and the long-term effects of emotional abuse on victims. This program is available in one to three-hour presentations to various groups and organizations.
WPS Volunteer Training Program is a complete training program designed for community volunteers, interns, and practicum students before they become shelter volunteers. The 20-hour training program focuses on family violence, active listening, services provided by the shelter, legal aspects of family violence, sexual abuse, children’s issues, and mental health issues. This program is available three times a year.
Medical Training focuses on family violence training, specifically for health care professionals, understanding how to recognize family violence.
Children's Services
Children are affected in many ways when they live in a household where abuse occurs. We take pride in the programs offered to help children cope with what they may have witnessed. Children’s and Adolescent Therapy Groups create a supportive and safe atmosphere to explore self-esteem, needs, coping strategies, identifying and dealing with feelings,
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problem-solving, safety planning, dynamics of family violence, the grief process, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, etc.
Infant/Toddler Groups (ages 0-3) help children express and identify emotions appropriately, encourage language skills, teach how to get along with others, facilitate motor skills, and help to develop a positive self-image.
Children’s Groups (ages 4-12), designed for school-age children to focus on facilitating positive self-esteem. Children learn to identify and express their emotions, are provided a safe environment to discuss their family background, identify and solve problems in school, and negotiate problematic interactions with others.
The WPS Infant Stimulation Group helps mothers learn to stimulate their infants in a structured play environment. The infants learn to become aware of their surroundings, manipulate their environments, and respond to their mother’s attention. Mothers learn to appreciate the role they play in their children’s development. Mothers can learn age-appropriate behavior for their infants.
WPS created Mommie N’ Me Groups to help mothers learn to interact with their toddlers so that both mother and child have feelings of positive self-esteem. Toddlers are encouraged to explore their environments to facilitate positive learning experiences. Mothers learn to identify, understand, and manage their toddler’s developmental tasks. Because of the structured interaction, mothers and toddlers learn to communicate more effectively.
WPS has designed Parenting Classes to help mothers understand the age-appropriate behavior of children in an attempt to reduce and relieve parental frustrations. Mothers can discuss problems they encounter in their child-rearing experience to make parenting positive for both mothers and children. Mothers are encouraged to identify and meet their own needs, physical, emotional, spiritual, etc., to meet the needs of their children. WPS teaches parents a philosophy of discipline, which enables the parent to discipline the child without physical force. Mothers and children learn to incorporate these behavior management skills into their everyday lives with the support of WPS staff.
Family Night, often called “Parenting in Action.” In this group, mothers can implement the skills they learned in their parenting classes and individual parenting sessions. With staff supervision, clients can practice parenting skills. During family night, mothers and their children complete projects and crafts together. Staff encourages mothers and children to use positive communication to strengthen the family unit.
Legal Advocacy
Women’s Protective Services of Lubbock’s Legal Department assists resident and nonresident clients with legal questions, issues, and referrals. The WPS Legal Department comprises a Resident Legal Advocate and Nonresident Legal Advocate. Both legal advocates have extensive experience and knowledge of working with survivors of domestic violence and the legal field, whether civil or criminal.
WPS Legal Advocates provide information on the following topics but not limited to: individual legal rights, protective orders, divorce, custody, child support, filing charges, court, attorneys, legal agencies, prosecution, affidavits, court paperwork, Crime Victims Compensation, immigration, CPS, APS; to accompany police, court, attorney’s office when requested or appropriate. To provide referrals that are in the client’s best interest. WPS provides continuing legal support and guidance throughout the legal process. WPS Legal Advocates also provide follow-up when services are deemed complete.
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Disclaimer:
WPS does not employ licensed attorneys and, therefore, cannot provide legal advice. WPS will provide information, including the legal rights of an individual(s) but will not make a choice for clients. WPS, in most instances, will provide multiple options, and the client reserves the right to choose which option is best for her. WPS will not make the client file charges, file a divorce, or take any other action that the client is not comfortable doing.
Resources:
The following are some of the resources that WPS utilizes Legal Aid Society, Lubbock Police Dept., Lubbock Sheriff’s Office, Lubbock District Attorney, Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, and Legal Aid Texas Rio Grande, and private family law attorneys.
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Social Services Referral Assistance
Includes the following:
- GED Classes & Testing
- College Financial Aid
- Trade Schools
- Employment
- Medical Care
- Prescription Assistance
- Housing, Clothing, & Childcare Assistance
- Financial Assistance
- Relocation Assistance
Social Referral’s Job Readiness Program
Includes the following:
- Resume Writing
- Interviewing Skills
- Assistance with Completing Job Applications
- Dressing for Success
- Time and Money Management
- Typing Skills
- Occupational Exploration
- Job Search Assistance
- Job Ethics
- Job Skills Awareness
- Job Retention
Batterer's Intervention and Prevention Program (BIPP)
The program is instrumental in promoting non-violence in the community and is accredited by The Texas Council on Family Violence and The Texas Department of Criminal Justice / Community Justice Assistance Division.
Women’s Protective Services of Lubbock (WPS)
The WPS Hotline is 24/7, free, confidential and available to all. Every contact with WPS is personal. Some people who reach out to us identify as survivors of abuse, some as concerned friends or family members, some as abusive partners seeking to change themselves.
Help Us Lend a Helping Hand
As you grow older you discover that you have two hands – one for helping yourself and one for helping others.
– Katherine Hepburn
Social Referrals
The WPS Social Services Referral Program empowers victims of Domestic Violence to become self-sufficient so that they are not forced to return to abusive relations due to financial dependency.
The Social Services Referral program provides survivors with resources for child care, utility & rental assistance, education, clothing, housing, relocation assistance, medical care, prescription assistance, and financial assistance. The program also assists survivors with creating a budget and job readiness skills.
When a survivor meets with a Social Referrals Advocate, they develop a plan specifically for that client. This plan outlines their goals and assists the Social Referrals Advocate in providing them with the appropriate resources that will assist them in reaching their goals and becoming self-sufficient.