Please find the full list of NCA Accreditation Standards here.
Note: These do not satisfy the requirements for foundational training but are for continuing education in practice areas.
Workshop Session 2 (1:15 PM – 2:45 PM)
2A. Working Together: How CACs and MDTs Can Best Serve Children with Disabilities
Dermot Whelan Police Sgt. Ret., Modell Consulting Group
This training is intended for multidisciplinary professionals seeking to advance their understanding of best practices for accommodating children with disabilities in a child advocacy setting. Participants will learn about biases and assumptions related to investigating cases, practical accommodations, and how these accommodations can be made within policies and practices to best serve child victims and witnesses with disabilities. This workshop will also explore considerations for working with interpreters within an interview, along with other pre-interview considerations.
About the Presenter:
Dermot Whelan is a Senior Consultant for Modell Consulting Group, LLC. Mr. Whelan was instrumental in the development of an advanced Forensic Interviewing Protocol for interviewing individuals with disabilities (Project FIND) and older adults (SAFE). Prior to joining MCG, Mr. Whelan served as a Criminal Investigator with the New York State Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. Mr. Whelan was primarily responsible for conducting and supervising criminal investigations stemming from allegations of abuse and neglect against vulnerable people who receive services through New York State-operated, licensed, or certified agencies.
NCA Accreditation Standards:
Standards 1B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B
2B. Intersection of Rural and Familial Child Trafficking
Krystyna Boisjolie, Talia Magnani
This workshop will define familial trafficking and review red flags and warning signs. Participants will review best case practices in approach and intervention and discuss the importance of understanding the needs in rural areas. In addition, this workshop will provide a brief review of RFK's assessment tool utilized to evaluate risk, discuss a case study, and share self-care techniques vital to help support vicarious trauma.
About the Presenters:
Krystyna Boisjolie was hired as RFK's Director of Youth Engagement and Mentoring in January of 2022, was promoted to Associate Vice President of Community Services in October of 2022, and most recently to Vice President of Community Services. She oversees several community-based programs in Western MA, Central MA, and Suffolk County. Krystyna was appointed as a member of the Governor's Council to address Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Human Trafficking in June of 2023 and subsequently joined the Subcommittee on Human Trafficking in July of 2023.
In her extensive career, Talia Magnani has worked tirelessly with abused and trafficked youth and adults. She is a fierce advocate for marginalized populations and also uses her voice to share experiences from childhood trauma and direct care to support survivors and inspire allies. Talia began her career with RFK Community Alliance in April of 2023 as a Lead Mentor spearheading the Legacy Berkshire County mentoring program, and was promoted to Program Coordinator in July of 2024. She is also a member of the Governor's Council Subcommittee on Human Trafficking.
NCA Accreditation Standards:
Standards 1B, 4B,5B
Optional Standard 1A: CSEC
2C. Trauma-Informed Engagement of High-Risk and Exploited Youth Disconnected from Systems
Sheelah Gobar, MSCJ, Sophie Jordan, Tina Valila, Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County, My Life My Choice
In this workshop, the presenters will share what they have learned about the specific needs of youth disconnected from systems who are high risk or sexually exploited and the challenges they face when trying to access support. Participants will discuss how providers and MDT partners can create physically and emotionally safe spaces for youth, as identified by the youth themselves. Participants will learn to recognize the barriers youth face when accessing support, and will identify strategies for MDTs engaging and empowering youth.
About the Presenters:
As the Support to End Exploitation Now (SEEN) Program Manager at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County, Sheelah Gobar coordinates multidisciplinary interventions for commercially sexually exploited and high-risk youth (CSEC). Sheelah provides guidance and leadership to the SEEN team to ensure prompt communication among multidisciplinary team members, and victim-centered responses for youth and families. She provides training and consultation locally, nationally, and internationally on CSEC identification and response. Sheelah came to the CAC after completing her MS in Crime and Justice Studies at Suffolk University with a concentration in Victim Advocacy.
Sophie Jordan works with CAC partners and multidisciplinary (MDT) team members to coordinate and facilitate person-centered, trauma-informed, and comprehensive interventions for youth impacted by CSEC. Prior to joining the CAC, Sophie worked as a Montessori Educator at Children’s House Montessori School in Burlington, North Carolina, and interned as a Client Advocate at the New Hampshire domestic violence and sexual assault crisis center, HAVEN. These experiences helped her develop a strong understanding of child development, best practices when working with survivors, and micro, mezzo, and macro social systems.
Christina (Tina) Valila, LICSW is the Program Director for My Life My Choice, a program of the Justice Resource Institute, based in Massachusetts. Joining My Life My Choice in 2014 as the organization’s first Intake Coordinator, Tina has since helped lead the program to grow to serve more than 220 young people in Massachusetts each year. In her previous role as Clinical Director, Tina oversaw My Life My Choice’s Survivor Empowerment Program, which consists of a team of 20 Survivor Leaders and allies who provide a unique continuum of survivor-led services, including survivor-led mentoring, intensive case management, job readiness and leadership development, mental health services, prevention education, and consultation.
NCA Accreditation Standards:
Standards 1B, 4B,5B
Optional Standard 1A: CSEC
2D. Developing Digital Safety, Empathy and Mindfulness (Repeat Session)
Richard Guerry
Apps like TikTok continue to grow; Deep Fakes are becoming a more common issue, AI is being deployed on a larger scale, communication in online gaming is growing more frequent for children at younger ages, and; Wearable tech like Snap Specs & Meta Smart Glasses will continue to evolve, thus the need for responsibility, as well as empathy and kindness has become even more paramount.
About the Presenter:
Richard Guerry is the founder of the non-profit organization the Institute for Responsible Online and Cell-Phone Communication (IROC2.org) and one of the nation's most sought-after speakers on digital safety, empathy, and mindfulness. He is the author of multiple cyber safety books and has been a featured speaker at numerous national & international conferences. His programs have received multiple awards from the School Safety Advocacy Council.
NCA Accreditation Standards:
Standards 1B, 4B,5B
Optional Standard 1A: CSEC
2E. Sibling Sexual Abuse: Realities, Responses, & A Reason for Hope
Jacqueline Page, Psy.D.
This workshop is a candid discussion of some of the realities of sibling sexual abuse. Participants will review current research and the components of a proactive response. The question of separation will be addressed, and considerations for reunification from a continuum framework will be provided.
About the Presenter:
Jacqueline Page, Psy.D. is a Professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Department of Psychiatry. She has worked with children/youth with problematic sexual behavior and their families for 35 years. She regularly presents and trains nationally and internationally.
NCA Accreditation Standards:
Standards 1B, 4B, 5B