The youngest

victims of sexual assault now have an outlet to vent their emotions thanks

to a new therapeutic program being offered by the Southern Crescent Sexual

Assault Center.

"Heroes

Great and Small" allows those victims to meet in a group setting,

with each victim having a volunteer adult on hand, said Jennifer Bivins

of the Southern Crescent Sexual Assault Center, which serves Fayette,

Clayton and Henry counties.

The goal is

to make the children feel good about reporting the crime, Bivins said.

"It's

'You're a hero because you told and we're proud of you because you told,'"

Bivins said. "It's really a recovery process, a healing for children

who come to this group."

During the

sessions, participants are given a stuffed animal to make them feel comfortable,

Bivins said. The topics range from how the victims felt when they were

assaulted to how they feel about the perpetrator, she added.

Sibilings of

victims are also invited to participatein the program, which focuses on

children ages 4 to 11, Bivins said. They too may have been affected by

the assault since they may have witnessed it, she added.

The program

fills a void for families who can't afford to pay professionals for one-on-one

treatment, Bivins said. Such professionals can be hard to find also, she

noted.

For more information

on the program, call the Southern Crescent Sexual Assault Center at 770-603-4045.