Our Mission

CVTC is a not-for-profit organization committed to helping people heal from violent crime.

We respect that healing comes in many forms and recognize the importance of a holistic approach.  CVTC provides a wide range of therapeutic services free of charge to anyone impacted by violence.  We are dedicated to advocacy on behalf of survivors, collaboration with partners across a multitude of disciplines, and training for those who work with survivors.  We are committed to changing cultural norms around violence and promoting social justice through progressive legislation and community mobilization.

Learn about CVTC from Christopher, Rommell, and Sarah.

This video was created for the Broadway Unlocked #giveback concert, to help the audience get a better idea about CVTC's work. It features Deputy Director Christopher E. Bromson, Staff Therapist Rommell Washington, and Sarah, a client of CVTC.

Learn about CVTC from some of our clients.

Listen as six clients discuss their experience of healing at CVTC.

Our Story

In the middle of a bright summer day in 1977 a violent rape occurred on the campus of Columbia University in Morningside Heights.  Witnesses called an ambulance, which took the girl to the Emergency Department of St. Luke’s Hospital.  When she got there, the medical staff was at a loss; her physical injuries were manageable, but psychologically she was devastated.  The doctors transferred her to the Psychiatric Emergency Department, not knowing what else to do.  Soon after her medical treatment was completed, she was discharged.  The girl was never heard from again.

The community was outraged.

Within a day, an Emergency Department social worker, an ED administrator, a doctor, and several members of the Upper West Side community sat down to address the neighborhood crisis.  A steering committee was formed, protocols were developed, and a promise was made that never again would a survivor of sexual assault be treated that way at St. Luke’s Hospital. 
The Crime Victims Treatment Center was born.