Our first Child Abuse Prevention Symposium is less than two weeks away, and we are thrilled that Jane Straub, a nationally recognized expert on child abuse prevention and victim assistance will be one of our featured guests conducting breakout training sessions for attendees throughout the day.

Jane is the Victim Assistance Specialist for the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center (JWRC), a program of the Zero Abuse Project. The Zero Abuse Project is nonprofit organization that works to eliminate child sexual abuse and is located in Minnesota. In her role, Jane trains and educates individuals on topics related to violence and prevention, supports families who have a missing loved one and advocates for victims and families struggling with the effects of abuse or neglect.

Before Jane leaves Minnesota and travels to Harrisburg, we asked her to give us a sneak preview into the topics she will be training on and her hope for our symposium is.

Here’s what we found out:

Q: How many symposiums and seminars do you conduct trainings at each year?

A: It’s a lot! I probably speak at around 100 engagements each year, if not more. I am excited and thrilled that I was invited to attend and conduct training sessions. I’ve been to Harrisburg before and I’m really looking forward to returning and meeting the attendees.

Q: There’s still time for individuals to register for the symposium. The registration deadline isn’t until September 11. Why should people sign up?

A: For individuals that work in our field, whether you are a counselor, victim advocate, therapist, or attorney, we should always be learning and continuing our education. It’s really important that you are healthy as an individual, and that you are prepared to do your work. Working in child abuse prevention, working with victims of abuse and sexual assault is not easy, and we need to be mindful of how we approach our work. Often, victim advocates experience vicarious trauma because of the things we have to hear and help individuals process and work through. As professionals, we need to take the time to gain and build the skills and tools necessary that would help us and those we help succeed.

Q: One of the topics you are conducting a training session on is “The Ripple Effects of Sexual Harm”. Can you give us a preview on what you’ll be discussing?

A: The ripple effects of sexual harm can last a lifetime and for those of us who work with victims of sexual abuse, we want them to find healing on their personal journey. The statistics are alarming: 1 out of 4 girls and 1 out of 6 boys are victims of sexual abuse. Healing can incredibly difficult for victims of sexual abuse when our society’s entertainment celebrates sexual violence. Just think of the television shows that millions watch, like Criminal Minds, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, and 48 Hours. Many of the story lines and plots are about sexual abuse and violence. Also, kids are exposed to pornography at such young ages now, and a good portion of it is violence-based with reoccurring themes of no consent. And, some states do not even have sex education as a part of the mandated curriculums. The spectrum of sexual harm is quite vast and in this presentation, I will be engaging attendees in a conversation. I want to explain what the impact of sexual violence on the victim and the community can be, and what the myths and misperceptions of sexual violence are.

Q: How are you and your organization working to end child abuse? Can you end child abuse?

A: Our ultimate goal is to eradicate child abuse and there are a few ways we can start to that:

1. Have better prepared, trained professionals working in this field.
2. We need to educate children, adults, families, law enforcement, and professionals on   prevention methods.
3. We need to talk to parents and teachers and ensure they know about prevention. They need to know how to respond if they suspect an incident of abuse has occurred and what type of support services and help are out there.
4. We need to have quality forensic interviewers trained, so if a child has been a victim, they only have to give a statement once to law enforcement and won’t have to endure a long-drawn out process. They can start to receive help quicker.

Q: What is the most important thing you hope attendees will walk about with?

A: I hope that everyone who attends will leave feeling better prepared to do their job. We encounter unique challenges in this field that can have a profound impact on us. You’ll often hear people call it “compassionate fatigue”. Working with victims and survivors of abuse and trauma can be difficult, exhausting, but also extremely fulfilling. One must take care of themselves in order to be able to take care of another. Also, I hope everyone walks away from this symposium knowing that no needs to keep a secret. Anywhere I speak, I always tell individuals that if you’ve been a victim of abuse—of any kind—you don’t need to keep it a secret and you should look to get some form of help. Everyone has their own, unique journey to finding healing.

About Jane Straub:
Jane has been working in the violence prevention and intervention field for over 20 years and has worked with youth and families for more than 25 years. In addition to providing advocacy and support, Jane is a national trainer on topics such as missing persons, domestic abuse, sexual violence, stalking, trafficking, bullying/cyberbullying, reproductive coercion, healthy relationships, consent and impact of trauma (Ace Study). She was instrumental in creating the curriculum and is the principal trainer for “From Trauma to Resilience: Fostering Hope through Trauma Informed Care”. Her training audience ranges from pre-school to college-age students, victim/survivors to offenders, parents, teachers, community leaders and all professionals working with youth. One of Jane’s goals is to work collaboratively with fields such as law enforcement, all components of health, education, social services and business to collectively connect the dots of risk and prevention, to provide coordinated services and create hope and health for all of our children and families.
Jane provides direct case management in cases of family and nonfamily abduction, lost, injured or otherwise missing children, runaway youth and adults missing under suspicious circumstances. Assistance includes reunification assistance, emotional support, reporting procedures, posters, flyers and social media campaigns, working with law enforcement and media and referrals for search and rescue. Connecting families with appropriate support and resources is vital when a person is missing. Advocacy continues for as long as a loved one may be missing including resources for reunification, services needed upon recovery as well as support for cases where the loved one is recovered deceased.
She provides advocacy and support to victims, families and allies of those experiencing any type of child maltreatment, exploitation, stalking, sexual assault and domestic violence. Assistance includes emotional support, aid in navigating the justice system such as court advocacy, victim impact statements, notification procedures and compensation, traditional and non-traditional support groups incorporating trauma informed yoga, writing and the arts.

Our first Child Abuse Prevention Symposium is less than two weeks away, and we are thrilled that Jane Straub, a nationally recognized expert on child abuse prevention and victim assistance will be one of our featured guests conducting breakout training sessions for attendees throughout the day.

Jane is the Victim Assistance Specialist for the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center (JWRC), a program of the Zero Abuse Project. The Zero Abuse Project is nonprofit organization that works to eliminate child sexual abuse and is located in Minnesota. In her role, Jane trains and educates individuals on topics related to violence and prevention, supports families who have a missing loved one and advocates for victims and families struggling with the effects of abuse or neglect.

Before Jane leaves Minnesota and travels to Harrisburg, we asked her to give us a sneak preview into the topics she will be training on and her hope for our symposium is.

Here’s what we found out:
Q: How many symposiums and seminars do you conduct trainings at each year?

A: It’s a lot! I probably speak at around 100 engagements each year, if not more. I am excited and thrilled that I was invited to attend and conduct training sessions. I’ve been to Harrisburg before and I’m really looking forward to returning and meeting the attendees.

Q: There’s still time for individuals to register for the symposium. The registration deadline isn’t until September 11. Why should people sign up?

A: For individuals that work in our field, whether you are a counselor, victim advocate, therapist, or attorney, we should always be learning and continuing our education. It’s really important that you are healthy as an individual, and that you are prepared to do your work. Working in child abuse prevention, working with victims of abuse and sexual assault is not easy, and we need to be mindful of how we approach our work. Often, victim advocates experience vicarious trauma because of the things we have to hear and help individuals process and work through. As professionals, we need to take the time to gain and build the skills and tools necessary that would help us and those we help succeed.

Q: One of the topics you are conducting a training session on is “The Ripple Effects of Sexual Harm”. Can you give us a preview on what you’ll be discussing?

A: The ripple effects of sexual harm can last a lifetime and for those of us who work with victims of sexual abuse, we want them to find healing on their personal journey. The statistics are alarming: 1 out of 4 girls and 1 out of 6 boys are victims of sexual abuse. Healing can incredibly difficult for victims of sexual abuse when our society’s entertainment celebrates sexual violence. Just think of the television shows that millions watch, like Criminal Minds, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, and 48 Hours. Many of the story lines and plots are about sexual abuse and violence. Also, kids are exposed to pornography at such young ages now, and a good portion of it is violence-based with reoccurring themes of no consent. And, some states do not even have sex education as a part of the mandated curriculums. The spectrum of sexual harm is quite vast and in this presentation, I will be engaging attendees in a conversation. I want to explain what the impact of sexual violence on the victim and the community can be, and what the myths and misperceptions of sexual violence are.

Q: How are you and your organization working to end child abuse? Can you end child abuse?

A: Our ultimate goal is to eradicate child abuse and there are a few ways we can start to that:

1. Have better prepared, trained professionals working in this field.
2. We need to educate children, adults, families, law enforcement, and professionals on prevention methods.
3. We need to talk to parents and teachers and ensure they know about prevention. They need to know how to respond if they suspect an incident of abuse has occurred and what type of support services and help are out there.
4. We need to have quality forensic interviewers trained, so if a child has been a victim, they only have to give a statement once to law enforcement and won’t have to endure a long-drawn out process. They can start to receive help quicker.

Q: What is the most important thing you hope attendees will walk about with?

A: I hope that everyone who attends will leave feeling better prepared to do their job. We encounter unique challenges in this field that can have a profound impact on us. You’ll often hear people call it “compassionate fatigue”. Working with victims and survivors of abuse and trauma can be difficult, exhausting, but also extremely fulfilling. One must take care of themselves in order to be able to take care of another. Also, I hope everyone walks away from this symposium knowing that no needs to keep a secret. Anywhere I speak, I always tell individuals that if you’ve been a victim of abuse—of any kind—you don’t need to keep it a secret and you should look to get some form of help. Everyone has their own, unique journey to finding healing.

About Jane Straub:
Jane has been working in the violence prevention and intervention field for over 20 years and has worked with youth and families for more than 25 years. In addition to providing advocacy and support, Jane is a national trainer on topics such as missing persons, domestic abuse, sexual violence, stalking, trafficking, bullying/cyberbullying, reproductive coercion, healthy relationships, consent and impact of trauma (Ace Study). She was instrumental in creating the curriculum and is the principal trainer for “From Trauma to Resilience: Fostering Hope through Trauma Informed Care”. Her training audience ranges from pre-school to college-age students, victim/survivors to offenders, parents, teachers, community leaders and all professionals working with youth. One of Jane’s goals is to work collaboratively with fields such as law enforcement, all components of health, education, social services and business to collectively connect the dots of risk and prevention, to provide coordinated services and create hope and health for all of our children and families.

Jane provides direct case management in cases of family and nonfamily abduction, lost, injured or otherwise missing children, runaway youth and adults missing under suspicious circumstances. Assistance includes reunification assistance, emotional support, reporting procedures, posters, flyers and social media campaigns, working with law enforcement and media and referrals for search and rescue. Connecting families with appropriate support and resources is vital when a person is missing. Advocacy continues for as long as a loved one may be missing including resources for reunification, services needed upon recovery as well as support for cases where the loved one is recovered deceased.

She provides advocacy and support to victims, families and allies of those experiencing any type of child maltreatment, exploitation, stalking, sexual assault and domestic violence. Assistance includes emotional support, aid in navigating the justice system such as court advocacy, victim impact statements, notification procedures and compensation, traditional and non-traditional support groups incorporating trauma informed yoga, writing and the arts.