It’s Fall 2020. Five mental health practitioners are on Zoom, talking through their vision for a new entity: a go-to resource for DC-area families that would provide trauma-focused treatment, prevention, and expertise, all while adhering to our values.

As I think back to that first meeting of TRUE Center’s founders, I am amazed and so proud of the incredible progress we have made in the past three years. While that meeting launched the founding of TRUE Center, the organization did not start operating as envisioned until this year.

Establishing a new entity takes time–filing for incorporation, applying for tax-exempt status, building plans and budgets–all while learning how to simultaneously develop, govern, and operate a nonprofit organization.

Since our founding, we have grown our board, our volunteer support, and our donor base. Most importantly, this past year we began programming in earnest (offering both trauma-informed educational programs as well as affordable mental health services for children and families) in earnest. 

Our educational services included training for D.C.-area psychologists and producing shareable and accessible informational videos for caregivers. Our plans to expand this service offering are already underway, and we look forward to sharing these updates with you.  

Getting our therapy program up and running required making some big investments, including hiring a part-time Mental Health Director. Dr. Komal Sharma-Patel has been a major asset to the organization since her hire in March 2023. She has worked tremendously hard to develop a sound foundation, conduct outreach to grow our referral network, and support our clinical volunteers. Thanks to her effort, our volunteer therapists are all matched with child clients as of this report’s release. We’re fortunate to have her as part of the team!

This past year, we have transitioned from struggling to ensure TRUE Center’s viability to planning for its sustainability and even growth. There is much more work to be done, however, and we face challenges practically daily. Our goals for the current year include reducing the effects of trauma through continued therapy services, increasing trauma awareness in professionals working with DC-area children, and ensuring sustainability through both funding and human resource development.

We are confident that with help from supporters like you, we will continue to make a difference in the lives of children and shift the landscape of trauma-informed care in the DC region. 

With much appreciation,




Alison Kramer-Kuhn

P.S. This report covers our fiscal year running from July 2022 through June 2023 in depth. For a sneak preview into what we’ve been doing more recently, please see our November 2023 update page.