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County Family Advocacy Center outlines services after rising victim counts; leaders call for awareness and support
Summary
Catherine Doyle, director of the Navajo County Family Advocacy Center, told the Board the center serves children and families with forensic interviews, medical exams and counseling; she reported local increases in victims and cited statistics (about one child victim every 36 hours in Navajo and Apache counties) and rapid access to counseling through the FAC.
Catherine Doyle, director of the Navajo County Family Advocacy Center, briefed the Board of Supervisors on March 10 about the center’s services, partnerships and demand. The FAC operates under the County Attorney’s Office as a nonprofit, has locations in Show Low and Holbrook, and offers forensic interviews, pediatric and adult medical examinations, crisis counseling, and a care closet with clothing and hygiene supplies.
Doyle said the center’s statistics are focused on Navajo and Apache counties: she reported an incidence of an alleged child victim "every 36 hours," said 84% of FAC clients live below the poverty level and noted increases in case volume (a 60% rise from 2023 to 2024 and a further 45% increase from 2024 to 2025). The FAC coordinates a multidisciplinary team (MDT) including law enforcement, forensic interviewers, advocates, therapists and tribal partners to reduce duplicative interviews and trauma for children.
The center provides same-day or next-day juvenile counseling (contrasting a typical six-month wait elsewhere), offers on-site forensic interviews for children aged three to 18, and houses a nurse examination room for medical evidence collection. Doyle asked the board to continue supporting outreach and community partnerships; County Attorney remarks at the meeting emphasized the FAC’s role in minimizing retraumatization and expanding counseling and school-based education.
