A Safe Place
Damaris Lorta, M.A. has a diverse work experience. From 2007 to 2012, they worked at YWCA, Lake County as a Manager of Provider Services. During their time at YWCA, they managed provider services. In 2011, they also worked for the Community Youth Network (CYN) as a Counselor for a brief period. In 2012, they joined A Safe Place where they held various roles, including Director of Legal Advocacy from 2012 to 2019, and currently serves as the Chief of Development.
Damaris Lorta, M.A. obtained their Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in 2018. Damaris then pursued further education and completed their Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology with a Counseling Specialization at The Chicago School from 2008 to 2011.
A Safe Place
For more than four decades, A Safe Place has provided services to victims of domestic violence & human trafficking and their families in Lake County, Illinois. A Safe Place is guided by the following mission: As the leading advocate for eliminating domestic violence and human trafficking in northern Illinois, A Safe Place provides a 24-hour crisis line, emergency shelter, individual therapy, family therapy, art therapy, group therapy, affordable housing, advocacy, education and outreach, supportive services to survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking and their children, a mentoring program, custody exchanges, supervised visitations, assistance with orders of protections, and intervention services for abusers to learn accountability for their choices and actions. A Safe Place strives to lessen the impact abuse has had on adults and children by providing services that remove barriers to leaving their abuser and transforming their lives after abuse. Programs and services of A Safe Place are evidenced-based, client-centered, and reflect a trauma-informed approach to direct services for survivors of domestic abuse and their children. Services were designed to meet the immediate crisis and long term needs of domestic violence & human trafficking victims and their children and to prevent domestic violence & human trafficking.