Survivors of sex trafficking typically experience severe trauma that requires specialized mental health care. The lack of specialized training for mental health professionals working with trafficking survivors creates a critical gap in service provision, as most clinicians lack the comprehensive skill set needed to address the complex trauma experiences specific to this population. This deficiency extends across all mental health disciplines, highlighting the urgent need for standardized competency frameworks that ensure professionals from social work, counseling, psychology, and psychiatry develop technical expertise and appropriate confidence and cultural humility when working with survivors. Additionally, the isolated nature of these professions often impedes adequate service provisions, with limited cross-disciplinary communication preventing the holistic, integrated approach that trafficking survivors require. In this session, the presenters will discuss what foundational knowledge and practice skills are needed to work with this population that prioritizes the holistic well-being of survivors and trauma-informed care specific to human trafficking. They will explore establishing mentorship, collaboration, and peer support networks for clinicians working with trafficking survivors to reduce isolation, practice humility and resilience, and promote knowledge sharing. Finally, they will discuss the future of their study with the goal of creating a database of mental providers that are survivor-centered and have obtained foundational or advanced training in this area of practice.
Trigger Warning: This presentation contains information (written, spoken, or visual) that may be triggering or (re)traumatizing to attendees.
Karie McGuire has spent most of her career working with individuals suffering from trauma: human trafficking, loss, or interpersonal violence. She has presented and done research on the subjects of complex trauma and human trafficking and is currently a therapist in New Jersey and a Clinical Assistant Professor at Widener University.
Cheri Mays has provided counseling to individuals who have survived sex trafficking. She is a licensed professional counselor and counselor educator with a background in treating child and adult trauma for over 25 years. Her research interest is services provided by mental health professionals working in human trafficking.
Amanda Stuckey is a counselor educator, licensed professional counselor and supervisor, and certified school counselor with an extensive history of working with children and adolescents. She has additional training with quantitative research methods. Her research interests include mental health treatment of the perinatal population, school counseling supervision, and research methodology.