Gaining Competency, Confidence, and Humility When Working with Individuals in Human Trafficking
Karie McGuire, DSW, LCSW, CHES; Cheri Mays, PhD, LPC-S & Amanda G. Stuckey, LPC-S | September 17 | 9:45-10:45 am EDT
Topic: Direct Service | Knowledge Level: Intermediate
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.
Presentation Objectives:
• Analyze current level of knowledge and training of mental health providers working with survivors of human trafficking
• Generate ways to enhance training confidence and collaboration across mental health professions
• Propose creation of a database for survivors to seek care from trained, knowledgeable providers with a trauma-informed lens