Crime Victim Center, in partnership with PennWest College of Health Sciences and Human Services, is hosting the 2025 Sexual Assault Response Symposium on Thursday, April 10th, from 8:30am to 4:30pm, at Pogue Student Center on the PennWest University campus in Edinboro, Pennsylvania.
The two-day conference kicks off at 6 p.m. April 9 when Joshua “Zeke” Thomas, a celebrity DJ, producer, sexual assault awareness advocate and TV host, will present “Empathy in Action: Building Trauma-Informed Responses for Survivors of Sexual Assault.” A fireside chat and Q&A will follow from 7 to 7:30 p.m., with Thomas joined by Paul Lukach, CVC executive director. That day’s events are free to attend, and the 6 p.m. talk will be streamed to the California and Clarion campuses.
The April 10 schedule begins at 8:30 a.m. with registration and a light breakfast, followed by opening remarks at 9:30 a.m. Ninety-minute workshops addressing topics related to victim advocacy, law enforcement, criminal justice, mental health, and nursing/medical services will begin at 10 a.m., 1:15 p.m. and 3 p.m. The workshops will be led by professionals, including PennWest faculty.
Detective Carl Hershman, a 32-year veteran with the San Diego Police Department, will give the keynote address during the 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. lunch break. Hershman is a nationally recognized speaker who was featured in the 2024 Emmy Award-winning film, “Victim/Suspect.” His talk, along with key workshop sessions, will be streamed to the California and Clarion campuses.
Pre-registration and a full schedule, including the topics of workshop sessions, are available at https://cvcerie.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/cvcerie/eventRegistration.jsp?event=50&. Cost is $90 for professionals and $35 for students, which includes breakfast, lunch and the keynote talk. Students who want to attend sessions without breakfast or lunch can register for FREE. PennWest students who want to attend the full day but aren’t able to pay the $35 fee can contact jfield@pennwest.edu to discuss scholarship availability.
CEU’s are available for Social Work, Licensed Professional Counseling (LPC), and Marriage & Family Counseling.
Before registering, take a look at the breakout sessions for the Conference on April 10th:
Conference Information
Registration (8:30am-9:30am)
Workshop #1 (10:00am-11:30am)
- Navigating PREA: Building Collaborative Relationships for Effective PREA Responses
Presenters: Tatiana Piper, PCAR & Amy Orzechowski, CVC
Description: This workshop will provide participants with the knowledge and tools needed to foster collaboration and maintain PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) compliance within correctional facilities. Information shared will include understanding the roles of professionals, establishing strong partnerships, and how to work together towards common goals. Participants will learn to collaborate to prevent and respond to sexual violence within the detention system.
Target Audience: Advocates, Mental Health, Law Enforcement, Prosecutors, Medical
- Grooming, Betrayal, and the Four Gold Standard Treatments for PTSD
Presenter: Dr. Molly Wolf, PennWest Edinboro
Description: This presentation will describe the facets of sexual grooming and how it relates to ‘betrayal trauma,’ emotional betrayal’ and PTSD. Participants will be able to identify the symptoms of emotional, perpetrator, and environmental betrayal in the assessment and treatment of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Attention will be given to identifying and describing the four gold-standard treatments for PTSD.
Target Audience: Advocates, Mental Health, Medical
- Intersections of Human Trafficking and Non-Fatal Strangulation
Presenter: Jamie Pfister & Danielle DiUlio, Network of Victim Assistance
Description: This presentation will address human trafficking and sexual exploitation crimes, increasing participant knowledge of indicators and ability to identify risk factors. An exploration of the intersection of commercial sexual exploitation and non-fatal strangulation will help to increase understanding of the signs and symptoms of strangulation in trafficking victims. Participants will increase confidence in responding to victims of commercial sexual exploitation and non-fatal strangulation through screening and assessment tools.
Target Audience: Advocates, Mental Health, Law Enforcement, Prosecutors, Medical
- Implementing Trauma Informed Care Into Nursing Practice
Presenter: Dr. Randilyn Lewis, PennWest Clarion
Description: An overview of trauma, how trauma affects the survivor, and how to implement universal interventions into nursing practice. This workshop will focus on the theoretical applications for the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner.
Target Audience: Advocate, Mental Health, Medical
Lunch/Keynote Address (11:30am-1:00pm)
Why are My Victims so Different?
Presenter: Carlton Hershman
Description: Victims of sexual assault are mostly treated like victims of other types of crimes. Not knowing or understanding the victimology and dynamics of sexual assault will lead to failure on all levels of the investigation and prosecution processes. “Different” is sometimes confused with “difficult.” We know difficult victims are treated differently, not believed, and most often the persons who are turned away with little to no investigation. This keynote presentation will address these issues and give understanding why sexual assault victims behave the way they do.
Workshop #2 (1:15pm-2:45pm)
- Making Mistakes in Sexual Assault Cases
Presenter: Carlton Hershman
Description: Mistakes occur in every investigation, no matter what type of crime is being investigated, but more so in sexual assault cases. Mistakes, big and small, are mistakes, nevertheless. Prosecutors, defense attorneys, civil law attorneys, judges, jurors, family, and friends look for them. The amount and kind of mistakes can have a catastrophic outcome in a sexual assault case. This presentation will shed light into this issue and explain why this occurs so much more in sexual assault investigations and what we can do to fix it.
Target Audience: Advocates, Mental Health, Law Enforcement, Prosecutor
2. Know More, Do More: Recognizing and Responding to Stalking
Presenter: Kendra Eggleston, SPARC
Description: Stalking is a prevalent, dangerous, and often misunderstood crime. This presentation explores the dynamics of stalking, focusing on the highly contextual nature of the crime by discussing common tactics used by perpetrators, the co-occurrence of stalking with domestic and sexual violence, as well as tools to plan for victim safety and hold offenders accountable.
Target Audience: Advocates, Mental Health, Law Enforcement, Prosecutors, Medical
3. Serving LGBTQ+ Survivors of Sexual Assault, Special Considerations
Presenter: Jay Yoder, Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation
Description: This workshop will provide a baseline education about the special risk factors LGBTQ+ populations experience for sexualized violence. Participants will learn why LGBTQ+ populations may be reluctant to seek supportive services or interact with law enforcement. The discussion will include an examination of the impacts of lack of access to competent and skilled providers and law enforcement on LGBTQ+ survivors of sexual assault.
Target Audience: Advocates, Mental Health, Law Enforcement, Prosecutors, Medical
4. Best Practices for Working with Male Survivors of Sexual Assault
Presenter: Miriam Brisley
Description: Men often experience a significant amount of guilt due to sexual violence that can have long-term implications on their ability to heal from the trauma. This workshop will explore that and other internal and external barriers that may impact a male sexual assault survivor’s access to supportive services or willingness to report to law enforcement.
Target Audience: Advocates, Mental Health, Law Enforcement, Prosecutors, Medical
Workshop #3 (3:00pm-4:30pm)
- Solving the Puzzle: Investigating Stalking
Presenter: Kendra Eggleston, SPARC
Description: Despite its prevalence, stalking is rarely investigated or charged. Building an effective stalking case means asking the right questions, collecting needed evidence, and constantly assessing for victim safety. This session will center on a case study review and explore how law enforcement and victim service providers can better investigate and/or charge stalking, resulting in improved outcomes in the criminal legal system when correctly implemented.
Target Audience: Advocates, Mental Health, Law Enforcement, Prosecutors, Medical
- Eating Disorders and Sexual Assault
Presenter: Brandes Montgomery, White Pine Center for Healing
Description: There is a strong connection between sexual assault and eating disorders. Throughout an individual’s experience, the two experiences dance in the shadows of shame, pain, and secrecy. Sexual assault weaves itself very tightly within a person suffering from an eating disorder, creating body-image issues and emotional and psychological difficulties. This presentation will explore various trauma-informed approaches to providing treatment for sexual assault survivors who are struggling with overcoming an eating disorder.
Target Audience: Advocates, Mental Health, Medical
- Advocacy for Survivors of Strangulation in Special Populations
Presenters: Shelby Lieber & Jazmin Vera, Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence
Description: Strangulation doesn’t just happen within the boundaries of domestic violence. This workshop will explore beyond that and look at advocating for survivors of strangulation, with a focus on special populations. Presenters will discuss strangulation with elderly, the military population, children, and sexual assault survivors, including offering tips and tricks for use in their day-to-day jobs.
Target Audience: Advocates, Mental Health, Law Enforcement, Prosecutors, Medical
- Online Sextortion: How to Address the Needs of Youth Survivors
Presenters: Jaime Cypher & Zozan Kucukaydin, PCAR
Description: Within just one year, over 3,000 youth survivors of sextortion were targeted across the U.S., according to a 20220 report from the U.S. Department of Justice. This workshop will cover the dynamics of online sextortion and how communities can recognize and respond to this prevalent crime through a trauma-informed and survivor-centered lens.
Target Audience: Advocates, Mental Health, Law Enforcement, Prosecutors, Medical