ODL 256: Disrupting Traffick: Raising Awareness and Focusing on Self-Care

Created on 07/20/2024

Target Audience:

This course is targeted for social workers, case managers, nurses, and counselors.

Overview:

Human trafficking is a crime of exploitation that harms the well-being of individuals and communities everywhere. There are an estimated 24.9 million victims worldwide at any given time. Sex trafficking is a worldwide epidemic, a tragedy that affects women, men and children.  In this course, Sharnell Myles, Psy.D., will cover the nuts and bolts of human trafficking, statistics, ethics, signs of human trafficking, resources and much more – including founding her non-profit, The Social Justice Cafe for Girls.

Course Objectives:

By the end of the session – the participant will be able to:

• Identify ethics around how vulnerable populations are more susceptible to human trafficking and how to identify and stop this crime
• Hold awareness of vicarious trauma when discussing this tragic crime and embark in a self-care discussion
• State at least three ethical principles that overlay the need for helping professionals to be aware of the signs of human trafficking, ways to assist victims and survivors and ways to prevent this horrific crime

Presenter:

Sharnell Myles, Psy.D., and Vice President at Embark Behavioral Health

Dr. Sharnell Myles, Psy. D., is a Licensed Psychotherapist and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional who specializes in the treatment of complex trauma. Her dedication to serving children, youth, and adults has spanned over 20 years. Dr. Myles is the CEO/Owner of JoyUs Beginnings Child & Family Wellness Center and The Urban Trauma Positive Impact Center, Inc. which is an exclusive trauma-informed treatment and advocacy center located in Atlanta, Georgia. JoyUs Beginnings provides an array of trauma-informed services to children, adolescents, and adults. Services include trauma informed therapies, trauma assessments, group treatments, gender specific social justice initiatives for girls of color and PeriCare a 2-Gen maternal fetal behavioral health treatment and advocacy initiative. Dr. Myles served as the first and past Clinical Director for youthSpark, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit organization serving vulnerable youth who experience exploitation, abuse, and other victimizations. 

Dr. Myles has been appointed to and accepted many leadership positions throughout her career. She is the Chair for the DeKalb County Juvenile Court Mental Health Court – Journey Program Advisory Board and was the Vice Chair of the Georgia Statewide Human Trafficking Taskforce Workgroup 7 – Survivors Supported and Protected, a member of the Georgia Statewide Multi-Disciplinary Team for Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking. Dr. Myles is a subject matter expert and routinely provides expert testimony in legal cases involving child and adolescent trauma, specifically domestic minor sex trafficking. She has presented at various conferences and has experience in vast settings such as clinical, juvenile justice, Department of Defense, and community-based settings. 

Dr. Myles has received numerous awards including the Barack Obama Lifetime Volunteer Award, ACHI Magazine Public Service Award, House of Hope Community Angel Award, and Our Children’s Keeper Community Achievement Award for her work advocating for survivors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, to name a few. In December 2018, she collaborated with Atlanta Public School Board Member, Erika Mitchell – District 5, and co-authored the first Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Protocol in the state of Georgia. 

Dr. Myles has a Bachelor in Psychology and Master’s degree in Community and Clinical Psychology from Norfolk State University, and a Master’s degree and Doctor of Psychology degree from Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University in Atlanta, Georgia. In her free time, Dr. Myles enjoys traveling internationally with her family, serving her sorority Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and mentoring. She is also The Founder of Social Justice Cafe for Girls Initiative.

2 CREDIT HOURS APPROVED FOR:

Social Workers
ASWB ACE – 2 Ethics Credits
New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work – 2 Contact Hours
Case Managers
CCMC – 2 Ethics Hours
Nurses
California Board of Registered Nursing – 2 Contact Hours
Counselors 2 Ethics Hours or 2 Contact Hours*
NBCC ACEP- 2 Contact Hours
New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners – 2 Contact Hours

* Some states do not require/accept ethics hours for counselors, for those cases contact hours will be awarded.

Please make sure to check with your own state board to ensure the transferability of CE credit for an asynchronous course. Some state boards may place restrictions regarding the modality of training required for ethics credits to be awarded. If this training indicates ethics credits are available, please verify that your state allows them to be earned through an on-demand course format.