CGC Welcomes New Community Office Director and SART Program Director

To ensure the provision of the most effective mental health care for the children of our community, the Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut (CGC) recruits the best mental health professionals who specialize in assessing and treating youth. CGC definitely met this standard of excellence with the recruitment of Georgette Harrison, Ed.M, their new Community Office Director of Greenwich, Darien, and New Canaan, and Setta Mushegian, MSW, their new child Sexual Abuse Response Team Program Director.

Prior to joining the CGC team, Ms. Harrison was the Training Director at the Child First National Program Office in Shelton, CT. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Whittier College, and both her Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and Master of Education in Counseling Psychology from Columbia University.

Ms. Harrison explained, “I had the good fortune of volunteering at CGC in 2014 for their Child First program, and through my interactions with the staff I was able to see how dedicated everyone was to supporting children, families, and each other. I really admired how staff was so committed to providing the best care for children and families.”

As the Community Office Director, Ms. Harrison works directly with local providers, schools, children, and families in the towns of Greenwich, Darien, and New Canaan, providing high quality mental health services to those in need and being a spokesperson for CGC in those respective towns.  She is actively involved with various community organizations such as the Darien Thriving Youth Task Force, the Darien Domestic Abuse Council, and the New Canaan Domestic Violence Partnership Task Force.

Ms. Mushegian joined CGC as the Program Director of SART after working at The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education (The Center) for 10 years. She received her Bachelor of Arts in both Philosophy and Women’s Studies and her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Connecticut.

“During my tenure at The Center, I worked with CGC’s SART program for almost a decade, and I have always admired the work of former SART directors” explained Ms. Mushegian.

CGC’s child SART program provides a safe, child-friendly atmosphere for children and families receiving services, while integrating criminal justice and protective service investigations, and providing comprehensive support to children who have experienced all forms of abuse and neglect and the non-offending parents/guardians. The SART program is comprised of professionals from a variety of disciplines, including CGC’s SART Program Director, medical personnel, local law enforcement, Juvenile and Adult Probation, the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the State’s Attorney Office, forensic interviewers, and Victim Advocates from The Center, and the Office of Victim’s Services. The ultimate goal of the SART program is to protect children from repeated harm and reduce the long-term psychological impact of sexual and physical abuse, neglect, witnessing violence and domestic minor sex trafficking.

Ms. Mushegian’s goal as the SART Program Director is to become present and available in the community. “I want to help people understand the importance of the SART program, educate them about where to go for services, and act as a resource so that people are more open to talk about all forms of abuse and neglect of children. I want to reduce the fear or stigma so that we can properly assess and treat victims,” said Ms. Mushegian.

In order to increase her presence in the community, she is working to increase her connections with not only local organizations, but also at the state level. She is currently on a subcommittee of the Governor’s Task Force for Justice for Abused Children called the Multi-Disciplinary Team Evaluation Committee, and the Anti-Trafficking Response Leadership Committee.

To contact Setta Mushegian, MSW regarding CGC’s SART services, call (203) 517-3315 or email [email protected]. To contact Georgette Harrison, Ed.M to learn more about the services provided to Greenwich, Darien and New Canaan, call 203-517-3376 or email [email protected].