The arts have the potential to be used in various social work contexts: drawings can help individuals open up and engage with the therapist; photographs can facilitate discussion in group work practice; and images can help advocate for various client groups. This presentation will provide an overview of the use of art with social work clients and focus on the use of the arts in healing and catharsis.

One of the presenters is an art therapist who works with mental health consumers/client-artists in Toledo. She has expertise in the use of various visual art mediums in her therapy sessions. This presenter has worked extensively with clients living with serious mental illness such as: Major Depressive disorder, Bipolar disorder, Schizoaffective disorder, Schizophrenia, and Post Traumatic Stress disorder. Many of her clients additionally grapple with substance abuse, trauma, homelessness, and poverty. The art therapist will demonstrate how her techniques have helped client-artists feel hopeful about the future and provide a platform for healing. The other presenter is a self-taught (or “nature-inspired”) artist who has no formal training in the arts. He uses pen-and-ink, acrylics, charcoal, pastels and cameras to explore issues of social and economic justice.

Presentation Objectives:

·         To understand the power of the arts in combating global social justice issues

·         To demonstrate the use of the arts to facilitate catharsis and promote healing

·         To explore the use of images in client advocacy

To generate ideas for using various art forms to engage with diverse clients

Read More

The presenter’s testimony begins at the age of 13 yrs old when she became the object of attention of a group of men that worshiped the devil. It spans over 13 years of drug addiction and abuse. The story continues after almost 20 years of proper recovery and involves a hard spiritual walk through where God has taken me. The presenter advocates for having the proper care for women after they have been rescued and is actively trying to bring this level of care to Middletown, OH. Although the presenter shares her story, the aim of this presentation is to emphasize the importance of appropriate aftercare.

Read More

This basic overview of human trafficking is most appropriate for those new to the field. Presenters will focus on both labor and sex trafficking in the United State. Topics will include the definition of human trafficking, how traffickers recruit, indicators for victim identification, and where and how to report suspected trafficking.

Read More

When working with Asian-Born victims of Human Trafficking, no matter whether it is labor or sex trafficking, the concept of “one size fits all” does not apply to them.  The trauma-informed care model requires integrating cultural, historical and gender issues.  The case planning would require an understanding of their needs, gaining their trust, and empowering them with their own voices and choices.

 

The presenter will share the toolkit built by her agency and discuss what they have learned, the challenges they face and will continue to face, and what they would like to accomplish by applying this model.  Ms. Chen will also demonstrate why “one size does not fit all” to illustrate the importance of having a culturally appropriated case management plan when working with Asian-Born victims.  

 

Human Trafficking is a heinous crime, and it exists everywhere in this country as well as in the world; there are no certain patterns, types, or groups.  Often there is a cross section between labor and sex trafficking, so it makes it even more difficult to build a particular model.  However, this does not stop us working to save the women, the victims and their families. Ms. Chen will talk about the importance of partnerships and demonstrate how it worked for her agency and the lessons they learned for all agencies involved.

Read More

Mainstream social work education takes pride in a radical past, but rarely links this past to current day social work practice in a critical way. This paper will look at social work’s focus on becoming a legitimate profession in answer to Abraham Flexner’s claim that social work was not a profession in the early 1900s. The following social work concerns will be investigated through a cultural history lens: settlement house systems, abortion, xenophobia, and discrimination directed toward the disability community. Looking back at these social justice concerns over time is helpful in giving much needed historic context to macro social work practice today. Panel participants found it helpful to look at the strengths and the challenges of social work practice over time as a way to thoughtfully approach social justice action today. Historical context helps social work remember that the struggle for freedom is an ongoing one.

Read More

Firsthand account of what it's like to be a victim of labor trafficking in the U.S. along with the challenges to survival, getting help and becoming a "survivor". This presentation helps the audience to understand the gaps in identification and getting connected with the people who can help. Audience members will also be exposed to the continual cultural barriers which prevent victims from seeking help or be able to reach out, as well as the many ways in which culture can be used to exploit an entire family. This presentation will highlight the assumption of becoming a survivor, but what that true experience can be like from the insiders’ perspective. Becoming a survivor can be a life long journey, learning to live with the past and not simply try to move beyond presents a new challenge almost every day.

Read More

Today we live in a society where human trafficking is a hot button issue. Various disciplines, levels of government, institutions and organizations are all involved in the pursuit of social justice for this population yet none of them realize an understanding of the dynamics and best strategies for addressing this social problem were laid out over a century ago. The purpose of this presentation is to change that.

Read More

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the role of the media and how it influences people’s mindset and how we respond to events. Danielle will do this by explaining victimhood (good victim vs. bad victim) and how these terms are influenced by the media and people’s perception. Throughout this presentation she will be referencing media framing-- which is the action of shaping or directing one’s thoughts, actions, powers, etc towards a certain cause or purpose. To be clear framing is the study of communication in which the source selects some facets of events, problem, or issue and make connections among them as to promote a particular interpretation.

This is absolutely the case when it comes to a good rape victim versus a bad rape victim. The media highlights a good rape victim as a woman raped by a stranger in a dark alley. Reality tells us that the majority of rapes happen by acquaintances “people we know”. However, it is the victims of those rapes that are identified as the bad victim due to media’s portrayal of what a good rape is. The media currently focus more on the rape victim and their behavior than that of the offender. The media must change its coverage of highlighting the victim to highlighting the wrong action of the offender to help bring justice to the survivors. Purpose of this session is to highlight media framing, explain the truths about RAPE, and to possibly address a solution moving forward.

Read More

Individuals exposed to distressing events through work with traumatized children and adults consistently report symptoms of secondary trauma and PTSD. Even with training, professionals working in human trafficking experience acute symptoms at rates of over 85%. For organizations using volunteers, this information is profound and demonstrates the need for formal training for both professional and non-professional staff. Many of us who witness these tragedies know that it is easy to become overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem and can also become so focused on the work that we forget to look after our own emotional needs. This training discusses the newest research in unconscious empathy, somatic countertransference, sleep disturbance, and preventing and/or managing compassion fatigue. We will discuss the best means to train individuals who work with human trafficking by giving them the language to combat compassion fatigue as well as prepare for what they may see, experience, and feel. Research has shown that relatively simple things can impact one’s ability to cope with the impact of secondary trauma. Objectives for this training are to 1) identify signs that someone is experiencing the symptoms of vicarious trauma or PTSD, 2) understand the conscious and unconscious origins of secondary trauma, 3) learn ways to prevent or combat compassion fatigue and somatic symptoms and 4) discover elements that can be added to your existing training programs to assist in understanding complex emotional reactions. Preparation and training with an eye toward emotional readiness allows our programs and our missions to keep thriving.

Read More

This workshop will focus on the historical perspective of human trafficking and prostitution in India, a legacy of the British Empire since the ingress of the East India Company in 1612 till 1947. Participants will be enlightened with British plans of dominating India by making Indian culture seem inferior, and actions initiated by the Government of India and active NGOs to update the laws for controlling human trafficking and prostitution.  This presentation will discuss how police are being trained to combat the tactics of the traffickers and pimps and training and empowering the victims to escape from their clutches.

Read More

In this presentation attendees will learn the basics of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer folk. There will be discussion of each letter within the LGBTQ acronym and how these identities can influence one’s life. A short LGBTQ history will be given at the beginning to better understand historical and modern oppression faced by LGBTQ folk.
 

Transgender issues, including non-binary spectrum identities, will be presented at length. These issues include: suicide rates, murder rates, and how to better accommodate trans people.
Same-gender relationship dynamics will also be a topic of discussion during the presentation. This includes the same-gender relationship power wheel and intervention tips for unhealthy and/or abusive relationships. The goal/objective of this LGBTQ 101 is for allies (or those looking to become allies) to become better acclimated to the LGBTQ community as a whole.

Read More

The Governor’s Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force was created in 2012 to help exploited children and adults facing dire circumstances in Ohio. Since its creation, partnerships with task force agencies, federal entities, and grassroots coalitions have yielded tremendous results in combatting trafficking in the state, particularly by building applicable and relevant resources that allow advocates and community leaders to enhance their local response to trafficking. Participants will leave this session with a greater understanding of how to practically utilize, apply and adapt existing tools and resources, all of which are free and readily available through the Task Force. This session will cover the key components that make up a strong and holistic response, and attendees will walk away with tangible and substantive information and tools to support and enrich their agency’s trafficking response.
 

Specifically, participants will walk through sample protocols for coalition building, learn about victim service standards and an online toolkit designed to support effective outreach to victims, review state and federal funding sources, and more. The tools, resources and protocols covered in this session were created in partnership with state, local and federal organizations, and are intended to be adapted by communities throughout Ohio working to address the crime of human trafficking. By attending this session, participants will gain practical, concrete information to support their day-to-day work in responding to trafficking.

Presentation Objectives:

·         To learn what human trafficking looks like in rural communities

Read More