Support for Separating and Divorcing Parents

In cities such as Norfolk and Portsmouth, about one in ten people ages 15 and older contend with divorce. That adds up to tens of thousands of people. The Up Center’s For Children’s Sake seminars aim to help ease the process for children. The seminars help divorcing and separating adults focus on parenting responsibilities, co-parenting and their children’s emotional health and development.

Child Custody & Visitation
Through thorough background checks and an assessment of the home environment, finances and family members, The Up Center’s Home Study program assists judges when making decisions in disputed custody cases. The Up Center staff also arranges visits between non-custodial parents and their children in a safe, accommodating setting. Our services are also available to parents whose visitation rights have been limited by the courts or social services.

Drug & Alcohol Abuse
The Up Center offers counseling services (link to counseling page) to individuals and families contending with drug and alcohol abuse. We also offer the ANEW program. ANEW (Adolescents Navigating and Experiencing Wellness) is geared towards families with youths returning from juvenile correctional and/or treatment facilities.

Anger Management
The Up Center has two Anger Management programs: one for youths and one for adults. The programs aim to inhibit violent behavior by improving social skills and impulse control and teaching empathy and compassion. Parental involvement is necessary for the youth program.

Help for the Abused
We offer a variety of services for those individuals and families, who are dealing with abuse issues:

Our Family Preservation program is geared toward families dealing with issues related to abuse and neglect. The services provided may include individual and family counseling, a parenting capacity assessment, parenting classes and play therapy.

We also offer group therapy programs for adults who have been victims of trauma or molestation.

Help for Batterers
To help end domestic violence, our Batterer Intervention Groups address the dynamics of violence with those who are physically abusive with their partners or children. This ongoing 18-week series satisfies local court requirements. If court ordered, we report attendance and completion to the court.