TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — After experiencing a traumatic event earlier this year, Brynn Clevenger says she was at her breaking point.
"Back in June and I needed mental help like really, really bad," she explains.
She found help at CODAC’s new Trauma Recovery Center (TRC), the first of its kind in southern Arizona, which opened this week in Tucson.
Located near Country Club Road and Pima Street, the TRC offers free short-term mental health support for adults affected by violent crimes such as sexual assault, gun violence, domestic violence, human trafficking and homicide.
Kristine Hall is the COO at CODAC and says the announcement of this new center is "a declaration to survivors of violent crime that they deserve not just compassion, but also no cost, comprehensive evidence-based care, and that healing is not a privilege, it is a right."
The program follows a nationally recognized model developed by the University of California, San Francisco in 2001. Services include therapy, psychiatry, case management, and help accessing essentials like housing, food and employment support.
Heather Brady is the Director of the CODAC TRC and says "the model doesn't just treat trauma, it removes barriers, restores dignity, and rebuilds lives.”
For Brynn, the connection she made to her therapist was immediate. "Instantly I knew like this is the place that I belong. The first session we had, I felt like I can connect with her. I felt like I had power because my power was taken.”
Now, she wants other survivors to know they don’t have to face it alone.
“I want people to know that whatever they go through, it's never going to define them as a person. Like just because you went through something traumatic, you don't have to keep living it.”
Studies show that untreated trauma can lead to long-term consequences including job loss, relationship difficulties, substance use disorders, and serious mental health conditions such as PTSD, depression and suicidal thoughts.
The CODAC TRC was funded through Arizona House Bill 2612, a 2023 pilot program allowing the state to establish trauma recovery centers modeled after UCSF’s framework. All services at the Tucson location are free to survivors. Survivors must have experienced the crime within the last three years to be eligible for services.
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Athena Kehoe is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2024 after graduating from Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Athena by emailing athena.kehoe@kgun9.com or by connecting on X/Twitter.
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