About Us

The History of the CAC

Before the nationwide Children’s Advocacy Center Movement began, child victims of abuse were under treated by our system. Often, there are several agencies involved in investigating allegations of child abuse. As a result, child victims were interviewed numerous times about the most traumatic events of their lives. Additionally, cases were falling through the cracks because there was not a team approach to investigations.

Today, children’s advocacy centers across the nation provide a child a friendly environment where all investigating agencies now come to the child. The child is interviewed once by a trained forensic interviewer and all agency partners work together as a team to coordinate their investigations and services for the child and their protective family members through the Children’s Advocacy Center.

Paluxy River Children’s Advocacy Center opened its doors on September 1, 2006. It was the 61st center to open in the state of Texas.

Our CAC serves Erath, Hood and Somervell Counties. We provide services for children under the age of 18 who are involved in a case related to sexual abuse and/or severe physical abuse.

Mission Statement

“To promote the healing of child abuse victims – one child at a time.”

Vision Statement

Bearing in mind the best interest of each individual child, the vision of Paluxy River Children’s Advocacy Center is to reduce the trauma to child abuse victims and their non-offending family members and to work toward improving the justice system’s response to child abuse by uniting the efforts of public agencies and enlisting community support.

Our Purpose

Our Staff

Margaret Cohenour

Executive Director, LCSW

Jessica Laskaris

Finance and Data Director

Shannon Engbrecht

Clinical Director, LCSW

Shelby Gibson

Program Director/
Forensic Interviewer

Kayla Bennett

Counselor, LPC

Molly Bowles

Counselor, LMSW

Sarah Clemons

Clinical Manager

Gena Hankins

Office and Human Resources Manager

Carolyn Kendall

Community Education Specialist

Shelby Latham

Intake Coordinator/Lead Family Advocate

Ashton Martinez

Director of Community Engagement and Education

Cynthia Pigg

Community Education Specialist

Lauren Rishel

Outreach and Event Coordinator

Karli Smith

Part-Time Outreach Assistant, LMSW

Emory Stout

Family Advocate/Forensic Interviewer

Cheshe Langford

Community Education Specialist

Zoya Thompson

MA, LPC-Associate
Counselor
Supervised by Lynette R. Frantzen, PhD, LPC-S, NCC

Our Board of Directors

Partner Agencies

County Sheriff’s Offices

Hood, Somervell & Erath Counties

City Police Departments

Granbury, Stephenville, Dublin, and Glen Rose Police Department

District Attorney’s Offices

Hood, Somervell, & Erath Counties

County Attorney’s Offices

Hood, Somervell, & Erath Counties

Juvenile Probation Offices

Hood, Somervell, & Erath Counties

Texas Department of Family and Protective Services

Cross Timbers Family Services

Cook Children’s, John Peter Smith, & Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital

Our Funding

Paluxy River Children’s Advocacy Center is a non-profit organization. The agency could not exist without the support of the community. Relationships developed with individuals, corporations and community organizations in combination with special events, fundraisers, in-kind donations and federal and state grants serve to create a solid and diversified funding base for the organization.

Contributions to the Children’s Advocacy Center are used to promote the healing of child abuse victims – one child at a time.

Foundations and Grants

Current Job Openings

Thank you for your interest in the PRCAC.  We currently have the following open positions.

Send resume to shannon@paluxyrivercac.org

Full Time, Granbury Office

Master’s Degree required, Valid license to provide therapy (LPC, LCSW, LMFT)

Reports to Clinical Director