By Lisa Dahm
Hawaii Catholic Herald
The diocesan Office of Safe Environment and Charter Compliance has hired a new victim assistance coordinator, who will work with adult survivors of abuse by employees, clergy or religious of the Diocese of Honolulu to provide a confidential source of support and access to services.
Philippe Guedj, who has lived in Hawaii since 1997, is also a program director at Catholic Charities Hawaii, which partners with the diocese to provide licensed social workers to fill the victim assistance coordinator role.
The Office of Safe Environment and Charter Compliance is responsible for implementing and overseeing the diocesan response to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Kristin Leandro, director of the Safe Environment office, said that one of the important goals of the charter is to establish the church as a trusted place of healing for victims and survivors of abuse.
“Having a qualified, dedicated professional who is also a caring and trusted individual with the skills and experience needed to accompany victims and survivors on their journey toward healing is critical,” Leandro said. “Given this, I believe that Philippe’s education, background and work experience contribute to his being a good fit for the position of our diocesan victim assistance coordinator.”
Guedj was born and raised in Bordeaux, France. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Hunter College, New York, and earned a master’s degree in social work at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He completed internships with the Hawaii State Hospital’s psychosocial rehabilitation program and the post-traumatic stress disorder program within Tripler Army Medical Center’s acute psychiatric ward.
He previously worked as a case manager for Helping Hands Hawaii and at Care Hawaii (an outpatient mental health services clinic in Honolulu) as a case manager and later as program director. He’s also been a skills trainer for Hawaii Health and a clinician with Hina Mauka treatment center’s Residential Treatment Program.
He has returned to France throughout the years, most recently from 2015 to 2017 to care for his mother. When he came back to Hawaii, he began his work as a program director at Catholic Charities Hawaii.
“I enjoy making a difference in people’s life and making them feel better about themselves and helping them to be better,” Guedj said.
He said in addition to his work, he most enjoys working with the staff at Catholic Charities Hawaii. “They are the best people.