Hello and welcome to our first edition of Counseling & Therapy’s Monthly Newsletter. Each month we will address a different topic surrounding mental health, highlight a treatment perspective from the field, as well as showcase a few of our own clinicians. Our hope with this monthly newsletter is to bring awareness, begin conversations around tough topics, and to instill hope.
January is Human Trafficking Month
Most people do not believe trafficking happens around them in their part of the world; they might think it happens elsewhere, or not at all. Unfortunately, trafficking can happen anywhere, anytime.
The Department of Justice has defined human trafficking as “a crime that involves exploiting a person for labor, services, or commercial sex.” Further, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 has added:
“a. sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or b. the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.”
The Polaris Project analyzes data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline, annually to assess this topic with the hope to prevent future trafficking. The 2018 data indicated 23,078 survivors were identified, with 10,949 human trafficking cases. Individual survivors (3,218) contacted the hotline 7,838 times in 2018. The national data indicate trafficking crosses demographics: age, gender, race and ethnicity. In Minnesota specifically in 2018: 213 victims, 70 traffickers, and 29 trafficking businesses were identified resulting in 120 trafficking cases.
These numbers are staggering, yet we also have to realize trafficking is hard to track and severely underreported. These numbers are only a fraction of what is going on in our nation and state.
So what can we do? This seems like such a big problem, yet we can each make an impact. Know the warning signs. Be informed on the topic.
Trafficking can happen to anyone, however there are some people who are more vulnerable. Risk factors include: recent migration/relocation, substance use, mental health concerns, involvement with child welfare system, being a runaway or homeless youth. Traffickers often use these vulnerabilities to create leverage with victims. There is not a specific list of ways to identify a trafficking victim. As research continues to come out on this topic the message has become more about knowing people, changes you notice in them, making them feel safe to talk, and asking questions when appropriate.
The good that is coming out of this research and topic area are there are more and more resources available, more attention or legislation being discussed, and more treatment available for the survivors. If you, or someone you know, needs support or have questions about available resources please contact FamilyMeans Counseling & Therapy at 651-439-4840.
Resources:
https://www.justice.gov/humantrafficking
https://polarisproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Polaris_National_Hotline_2018_Statistics_Fact_Sheet.pdf
https://humantraffickinghotline.org/sites/default/files/MN-2018-State-Report.pdf
Treatment Perspective: EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, is an evidence-based interactive therapy used to relieve psychological stress. This treatment is commonly used to treat trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). EMDR takes into account the client’s past, present and future throughout treatment. Past disturbing memories or experiences can shadow current situations and cause distress. By using EMDR, clinicians can help clients reorder these past disturbances in the brain and offer skills for moving forward. Research has shown great success with this treatment and has been found to have quicker results than other trauma therapies. However, not every therapy is for everyone. Working with a clinician to assess the best approach to individual situations and what modality might work the best is recommended.
EMDR training is extensive. Clinicians who complete EMDR have put in many hours of training, practice, and consultation.
As one can imagine, from the topic of human trafficking, our clinicians at FamilyMeans potentially have clients have traumatic pasts and may want to address them in therapy. FamilyMeans has a number of clinicians trained in EMDR, one of which will be highlighted below.
FamilyMeans Clinician Spotlight
Cori Hildebrandt, Psychotherapist, MA, LPC WI, LPCC MN
Cori has worked at FamilyMeans for over 5 years. She is Adlerian trained, which is a psychodynamic approach and uses EMDR along with integrated techniques. She is direct, relational, and authentic.
If you want results and true healing and if you are looking for treatment that is beyond only talking in session, EMDR is a wonderful approach that treats you as a whole person. It has the ability to help you heal whatever holds you back from the life you desire.
Cori says:
My favorite parts of being a psychotherapist are connecting to people and being privy to private pieces of their lives; encouraging them; using creativity to support them in change; and witnessing the beauty and the power of the human spirit to overcome.
Some of my greatest challenges in being a psychotherapist are finding ways to motivate clients who are stuck; bearing witness to the suffering, abuse, and dark aspects of being human; balancing a sense of responsibility to my clients and myself; and working with kids caught in unfair situations or damaging home environments.
I want people to know that I am a human being just like them. I believe life is a mixture of pleasure and pain. I think we all want the same thing; to live our best life. We do all sorts of crazy things in an effort to hide our vulnerabilities and sense of inferiority. The better we understand ourselves and the more we love ourselves; the more meaning we can extract from life.
I am committed to ongoing learning and growth professionally and personally. I love to travel, spend time outdoors moving my body, and enjoy most things related to food (cooking, shopping, gardening, tours). I have a daily meditation practice; never missed a day in over 8 years!