Devereux  Advanced Behavioral Health Georgia

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Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Program

donate-online-red.png Children and adolescents are being sold into a $150 billion annual market for sex and labor. This is happening globally, and domestically; in urban and suburban areas. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Atlanta, Georgia, is the No. 1 major hub of human and sex trafficking in the United States.

Devereux Georgia’s Residential CSEC Program provides sophisticated treatment for girls from around the country who have experienced emotional, physical and sexual trauma. In recent years, there has been a steady increase in referrals of girls who have been commercially sexually exploited. Girls who lived through the experience of being commercially exploited have very specific treatment needs that includes a protected living environment that provides a sense of sexual security and predictability, and treatment strategies designed to help these girls understand victimization and empower them to create a different life.

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Clients
Girls ages 10-21 years with a FSIQ 70 or above who meet the general admission criteria for the PRTF level of care (psychiatric disorder, failed treatment at a lower level of care, GAF below 40, require treatment in a structured setting with 24-hour nursing/medical services) are eligible for admission. Most common diagnoses include: PTSD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Mood Disorder and Substance Abuse Disorder.

Program Components

  • Gender and age specific housing units on a secure campus
  • Ackerman Academy, AdvancED-accredited school
  • Administration of the Child PTSD Symptom Scale and Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, if appropriate
  • Administration of the SASSI 2, and referral to substance abuse treatment using the Cannabis Youth Treatment Program or Matrix Model, as appropriate
  • Weekly individualized therapy, group therapy 2-4 times weekly, activity therapy 3 times weekly, family therapy bi-weekly
  • CSEC group therapy utilizing STRIVE RESPECT Group Curriculum
  • Nursing/psychiatric services weekly to monthly, as needed

Yolanda Graham, M.D.
Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical/Chief Medical Officer

As Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical/Medical Officer, Dr. Yolanda Graham is responsible for overseeing our organization’s clinical strategies, treatment and outcomes. Specifically, she works to integrate the latest scientific and medical advancements with time-tested philosophies and compassionate family engagement to provide practical, effective and efficient care for the tens of thousands of children, adolescents and adults served by the organization every year.

Graham is Board certified in General Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and is an expert in the areas of: mental health, child advocacy, psychotropic medication management, behavioral management, and childhood sexual exploitation and trauma. She joined Devereux in 2011 as the medical director of Devereux Georgia and, in 2016, was promoted to her most recent position of executive director of mental health services at Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health. Graham who is widely recognized across the nation as a leading expert in the treatment of sexually exploited children developed and launched Devereux’s Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) program in 2012.

Prior to Devereux, Graham was the medical director at Youth Villages, Inner Harbour campus, in Douglasville, Ga. She also served as a consultant for STRIVE, LLC, where she helped to develop a clinical curriculum for commercially sexually exploited children. In addition, she worked as a clinical psychiatrist for organizations including Positive Impact, the Fulton County Metro Youth Detention Center and DeKalb County Community Service Board, among others. Graham lectures nationally and has been published widely on issues related to child/adolescent behavioral health and the commercial exploitation of children. She is an adjunct associate professor at Emory University and an adjunct assistant clinical professor at Morehouse School of Medicine.

Graham earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a Doctor of Medicine from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. She completed her residency and two fellowships at Emory University. She serves on the following boards: Georgia Psychiatric Physician’s Association (president); Georgia Center for Child Advocacy, Georgia’s Drug Utilization Review Board, Shared Hope International and Wellcare’s Behavioral Health Advisory Board. In addition, Graham is the past president of the Georgia Council on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.