Every day, professionals from Children's Advocacy Centers and Multidisciplinary Teams do incredible work to help children and families heal from the trauma of child abuse. NRCAC's Team Talk podcast highlights the efforts of these heroes throughout the northeast region and across the United States.
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Pennie Saum is an author of Brave and Unbroken, speaker, advocate, law changer, and voice seeker who has dedicated her life to help victims use their voice to move through trauma and grief. She has a passion for helping child sexual abuse victims become thrivers. Pennie is determined to impact those who are struggling the trauma of child sexual abuse.
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EPISODE SUMMARY: Sass Boucher and Kate Collier, co-founders of SelfCare Psychology Ltd, bring psychology, awareness, resources, and expertise to frontline workers in supportive roles. In this episode, they discuss the concept of Professional Trauma and Fatigue and how CAC staff and MDT partners can use the Five Pillars of Protection to mitigate the…
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EPISODE SUMMARY: Research consistently supports the value of taking a trauma-informed approach to reduce re-traumatization, improve outcomes, and foster trust and collaboration between professionals, children, and families. In this episode, Kristina Coleman, LMSW, MPA, joins co-hosts Tony DeVincenzo and Ilana Lezama-Beausejour to discuss the interg…
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Episode 42 – The MDT Response to Human Trafficking and CSEC
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EPISODE SUMMARY: With the increasing awareness and understanding of the complex problem of human trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC), CACs and MDT partners have expanded their capacity to the needs of sexually exploited children and youth, including those at risk for exploitation. In this episode, Melissa Kaiser, a lic…
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Episode 41 - Preparing for the Unexpected: The Importance of Succession Planning
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EPISODE SUMMARY: “Better to be ready than get ready.” We delve deeper into the important topic of succession planning. In this episode, Tony speaks with Christopher St. Cyr who serves as the Executive Director at the Caledonia Children’s Advocacy Center. Chris discusses the importance of being intentional when it comes to succession planning. He gu…
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EPISODE SUMMARY: When you hear succession planning, what comes to mind? Many people will think of a written document that outlines procedures for when there is a transition in leadership. Having a plan for change and transition is critical to the CAC’s stability and continuity of services for children and families. In this episode, Tony speaks with…
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Episode 39 - The Global Issue of Child Abuse and its Impact on the Work of CACs
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EPISODE SUMMARY: As professionals in the child abuse field, we all know that child sexual abuse has no boundaries. In the United States, CACs and MDTs are doing amazing and innovative work to provide a collaborative response to promote healing for children and families. But have you ever thought about the issue of child sexual abuse globally and ho…
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Episode 38 - Affiliate Response to Stress and Burnout
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47:00
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EPISODE SUMMARY: “The ultimate solution to burnout is not self-care. It’s caring for others and others caring for you.” There’s no denying that self-care is important. Eating healthy, exercising, and taking vacation days can reduce stress on the body. But it’s human connection and the relationships you have with others that make the difference. In …
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Episode 37 - Racial Healing Response Team
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EPISODE SUMMARY: Child Advocacy Centers and Multidisciplinary teams are not immune from the race, power, and privilege that shapes the way we each experience the world. At Safe Horizon, the organization that operates the five CACs throughout New York City, the Racial Healing Response Team (RHRT) program has been implemented to address the racial ha…
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EPISODE SUMMARY: What is organizational culture? Why should you focus on organizational culture? What is the value of investing in organizational culture? How does it relate to Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs)? In this episode, Tony speaks with Gene Klein, LCSW and Caren Dean with Project Harmony. During their conversation, they share how they na…
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EPISODE SUMMARY: 1 in 10 people have been victims of sexual assault. Over 80% of these victims know their attacker. In almost 100% of these cases, the attacker uses a method called "grooming". In this episode, filmmaker and survivor Gwen van de Pas joins Tony to discuss the documentary film titled Groomed. Gwen takes us through her journey of makin…
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Episode 34 - NCA Accreditation Standards Changes
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EPISODE SUMMARY: The National Children’s Alliance (NCA) Standards of Accreditation help ensure that all children across the U.S. served by Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) receive consistent, evidence-based services that help them heal from abuse. The Standards for Accredited Members are reviewed through a process coordinated by the NCA Accredita…
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EPISODE SUMMARY: The Baystate Family Advocacy Center has an exciting new program funded from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) - Child Advocacy Training & Support (CATS) Center. The CATS Center establishes a national training center to provide Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) and multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) training, educatio…
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EPISODE SUMMARY: How do you define the role and responsibilities of Team Facilitator at your CAC? In this episode, Tony speaks with Sue, Vicky, and Brittnee on professionalizing the role of the Team Facilitator. They discuss the importance of the role moving beyond case review to having the role be viewed as more of a leadership position within the…
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Episode 31 - Multilevel Shared Leadership Model
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EPISODE SUMMARY: When examining the multidisciplinary team response to child abuse in communities, there are two principles that I believe to must be considered. The first is that MDT’s are sophisticated and complex systems that are tasked with providing a coordinated and comprehensive response to child abuse. The second is that no single disciplin…
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EPISODE SUMMARY: We all see the word hope in the vision statements, mission statements, and even within the name of some of our organizations. But what do we mean when we are using this word? My guest for this episode will help put hope in perspective. As a “Hope Scientist,” Dr. Ashley Cross joins the podcast to speak to us about The Science of Hop…
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Anna is an incest survivor. She is finding her way through healing and thriving. Anna joins us today on the podcast to unleash her voice, loudly. She wants to shatter the shame and brerak the silence, please join us.By Pennie Saum
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Brave and Unbroken - Margaret & Pennie 4-30-2022
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Margaret is a child sexual abuse survivor, the Spokesperson for the National Chlidren's Advocacy Center and an Olympic Medal Winner in Swimming. Margaret joins Pennie on this episode to share what the child advocay centers do, how they have evolved, and why they benefit the children. Join us!
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Brave and Unbroken Podcast - Shayla Marie
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Shayla is our guest this week. She is an author, a poet, a spoken word performer, and is working on a novel. Shayla also is a mother who is breaking generational trauma. Shayla is sharing her story, impacts of addiction, and trauma on communities of color. Join us!By Pennie Saum
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Brave and Unbroken Podcast - Nicole Snell - Girls Fight BACK!
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19:24
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Nicole Snell is a a dynamic international speaker, facilitator and self-defense expert specializing in sexual assault and violence prevention education, gender-based violence prevention, personal safety and empowerment. She is committed to ending violence in all of its forms by educating others with self-defense skills and advocating for change. Ni…
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Brave and Unbroken Podcast - Nicole Lewis-Keeber MSW LCSW
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Nicole Lewis-Keeber is a business therapist and mindset coach who works with entrepreneurs to create and nurture healthy relationships with their businesses. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Masters in Social Work and a rich experience of working as a therapist. Certified in Brené Brown’s The Daring Way™ and Dare To Lead™ methodologi…
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Brave and Unbroken Podcast - Margaret Hoelzer
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Margaret Hoelzer joins Pennie to discuss healing, helping others, life through Covid, and continuting to heal.By Pennie Saum
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Brave and Unbroken Podcast - Mike Skinner
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Using humor and compassion, Michael takes his listeners on a journey from child victimization through the mental health, legal and medical systems to his current career as a successful musician and award-winning speaker. Michael offers trauma survivors hope, insight and motivation. He gives professionals a rare opportunity to learn about their syst…
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EPISODE SUMMARY: Every Child Advocacy Center wants to create a space that is safe and inclusive for all children and families that walk through the door. At times, the process of creating that space and the conversations that need to be had to ensure such a space can be difficult and uncomfortable. In this episode, I speak with Gale Britton, the Bo…
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Anne M. Lauren is an author and activist. Her story has been published in print and digital magazines like America, Yes!, Arcadia, Elite Daily, The Mighty, Ms. Magazine, and Elephant Journal. You can review her portfolio at www.annemlauren.com and find her @annemlauren on all social media platforms.By Pennie Saum
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Brave and Unbroken Podcast - Suzanne Isaza
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Suzanne Isaza joins Pennie to discuss her background and what work she is doing through the Sexual Assault Advocacy Network and IncestAwareBy Pennie Saum
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Brave and Unbroken Podcast - Patrick Adams
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Patrick Adams joins Pennie to share the trauma he experieinced as a child and how he turned that into something amazing... Rememberance Ranch....join us, you don't want to miss this!By Pennie Saum
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Episode 28 - Tele-Medicine Now and Post-Pandemic
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EPISODE SUMMARY: Access to medical care has been an ongoing challenge for many CACs. Whether it be a shortage of qualified practitioners, funding issues, transportation issues, or something else, many CAC leaders have been trying to answer the question of "how can we provide the children and families we serve with the appropriate medical services t…
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Episode 27 - Child Life Specialists and CACs
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EPISODE SUMMARY: Have you heard about the role of a Child Life Specialist? Many of us are under the misconception that Child Life Specialists only work in hospital settings and are tasked with playing with children as they await a procedure or treatment. Nothing could be further from the truth. In both healthcare and community settings, Certified C…
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Episode 26 - Working with Children with Disabilities
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EPISODE SUMMARY: Children with disabilities may be at a greater risk for maltreatment than children without disabilities. For many professionals in the child advocacy field, these cases can be difficult because of a lack of understanding, knowledge, and basic skills to effectively work with a child with a disability. In this episode, we start your …
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Episode 25 - Problematic Sexual Behavior: The CAC MDT Response
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EPISODE SUMMARY: Cases of children ages 12 and younger with problematic sexual behavior (PSB) can present a myriad of challenges for multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) and Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs). After all, MDTs and CACs were historically designed to address maltreatment of children committed by adults, not by other children. When presented…
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Episode 24 - Forensic Interviewer Skill Development with the National Children's Advocacy Center
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EPISODE SUMMARY: In the final episode of the 4-part series on Skill Development for Forensic Interviewers, Tony speaks with Andra Chamberlin and Kim Madden from the National Children’s Advocacy Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Both Andra and Kim are trainers and forensic interview specialists with a wealth of experience in the child abuse field. Duri…
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EPISODE SUMMARY: Still searching for that elusive perfect forensic interview? In this second episode of our two-part conversation with Michele Thames and Christina Rouse, forensic interviewers from Virginia, we discuss the importance of leadership to the success of a forensic interviewing program. When child abuse occurs, cases may be investigated …
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EPISODE SUMMARY: Is your team searching for the perfect forensic interview? Although a “perfect” outcome might not be possible, the journey is important. In this episode, I speak with two forensic interviewers from the Commonwealth of Virginia about that journey. We discuss some of the challenges that might get in the way and what interviewers and …
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Episode 21 - Forensic Interviewing Skill Development
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EPISODE SUMMARY: In the last five years, over 1 million children have received forensic interview services at Child Advocacy Centers across the United States. In the first of four episodes dedicated to this topic, Rita Farrell, Director of ChildFirst® for Zero Abuse Project, discusses the value of peer review and how forensic interviewers can conti…
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Pennie & Margaret Hoelzer discuss child abuse prevention month (2021)
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Pennie is joined by Margaret Hoelzer, two time Olympian and three time medal winner - child abuse survivor, advocate and public speaker. They discuss child abuse prevention month - and how abuse comes in all shapes and sizes. Abuse can't be compared - hard is hard.By Pennie Saum
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Join Pennie & Cat as they discuss at the beginning of COVID to discuss the pandemic and the impact on children and child abuse throughout our country.By Pennie Saum
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Bobbie Joy Hansen - Child abuse survivor turned advocate
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Bobbie so kindly agreed to share her story on our podcast. Those who have suffered the betrayal of sexual abuse are like a fragile flower. We are like ships that have been tossed about by one storm after another in life! We are bound as prisoners to our past until we are willing to courageously work through the pain and embrace it. We will then rea…
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Episode 20 - Rising to the Challenge of Covid-19
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Teresa Huizar, Executive Director of the National Children’s Alliance, explores how the CAC Movement has risen to meet the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and what opportunities have arisen that may prove beneficial in the future. EPISODE SUMMARY: When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Child Advocacy Center’s and Multidisciplinary Teams were …
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EPISODE SUMMARY: The professionals responding to child abuse allegations in their communities are routinely placed in situations where they need to have difficult conversations with children, parents, and caregivers. Whether working with a family in crisis or breaking bad news to a family in disbelief, good communication skills can go a long way in…
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EPISODE SUMMARY: Are you looking to add another tool to the mental health services you are providing at the CAC? Do you struggle with those kiddos who cannot regulate and are unable to take part in the systems that need to hear from them? Sensory Motor Arousal Treatment (SMART) is an innovative mental health therapy for complexly traumatized childr…
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EPISODE SUMMARY: Are you looking to add another tool to the mental health services you are providing at the CAC? Do you struggle with those kiddos who cannot regulate and are unable to take part in the systems that need to hear from them? Sensory Motor Arousal Treatment (SMART) is an innovative mental health therapy for complexly traumatized childr…
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EPISODE SUMMARY: Becoming accredited with the National Children's Alliance has a lot of value for CACs, but the process can seem daunting. Darcy Fluharty and Shyra Williams from the Hanenburg CAC in Holland, MI discuss with us the benefits they've experienced in their over 20 years of being an accredited CAC and share some tips on how to best prepa…
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Episode 15 - Team Facilitation in Uncertain Times
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45:39
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EPISODE SUMMARY: MDT facilitation and coordination presents unique challenges on the best of days, let alone during crisis. On this episode, Tony speaks with Greg Flett of the National Children's Advocacy Center (NCAC) about the role of the team facilitator, what coordinating MDTs looks like, and how to approach this role during COVID-19. GUEST: Gr…
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Episode 14 - Taking a Leadership Stance During Crisis
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EPISODE SUMMARY: Leading within the CAC model - no matter your role - is complex under normal circumstances. During a crisis, this complexity is heightened, and the decision must be made about what kind of leader you want to be. Martha Lask joins us on this episode to discuss taking a leadership stance in a crisis situation. GUEST: Martha Lask, MSO…
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CACs work hard to provide high quality services to children and families, as well as build relationships with other service organizations to create a collaborative network for the community. But how do we make ourselves known, so those who need us know where to go? David Johnston from Deirdre's House joins us to discuss the Game of Life, a unique w…
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What does it mean to lead through a crisis? In this episode, Tony has a conversation with Interim Executive Director Paul DiLorenzo about what it looks like to lead a CAC through our current unprecedented times. - Paul DiLorenzo, ACSW, MSLP is the Interim Executive Director of both the Philadelphia Children's Alliance and Northeast Regional Childre…
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In the second half of this two-part episode on mobile CACs, Stacy Osborn joins us from one of the new mobile CACs to discuss what it's like to operate one, and the impact it has had on MDT members and the community. - Stacy Osborn is the director of Safe Against Violence, a program of Delaware Opportunities, the community action agency in Delaware …
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CACs face a number of issues with service accessibility, especially in rural and remote areas. New York has recently rolled out 7 new mobile CACs to help bridge the accessibility gap. In the first half of this two-part episode, Melaney Szklenka from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services joins us to discuss the development and im…
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Episode 9 - School Engagement and the H.E.A.R.T. Program
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The majority of children seen at CACs are of school age, so what can we do to engage schools in the healing process while respecting the privacy of victims and their families? Nicole Ledoux and Meghan Noyes from the Granite State Children's Alliance join us this episode to discuss the New Hampshire state chapter's efforts to connect CACs with schoo…
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Mike Skinner - Child Abuse Survivor vs. Mentally Ill Labels
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54:19
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Mike so graciously agreed to join Pennie on the Brave and Unbroken Project's podcast, sharing his story and showing how its possible to survive out loud. Mike Skinner is a musician, advocate, grandfather, father and child abuse survivor. His health concerns are the result of childhood and teenaged years filled with the pain and suffering caused by …
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