2025

TCA Professional Growth Conference

Houston, TX

Self-Care in Action: Practical Tools for Counselors Working with Sex Trafficking Survivors

Program Summary: Counselors working with survivors of sex trafficking face unique challenges that can impact their overall well-being. This session presents findings from qualitative studies exploring counselors’ experiences and self-care practices in this context. Attendees will gain foundational knowledge of sex trafficking, understand the toll this work can take, and learn the critical role specialized training plays in supporting counselor well-being. Drawing from empirical research and clinical expertise, the session will highlight effective self-care strategies used by counselors serving this population. Attendees will leave equipped with practical tools and recommendations to enhance their self-care and sustain resilience while supporting survivors of sex trafficking.

Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Trauma Research: Reflexive Art Journaling as a Tool for Researcher Wellbeing and Integrity

Program Summary: While qualitative methods offer invaluable depth in understanding trauma-related experiences and phenomena, they also expose researchers to vicarious trauma, potentially impacting their wellbeing. This poster presentation explores the dual nature of trauma research, where vicarious trauma risks coexist with possibilities for vicarious posttraumatic growth. Given the necessity of epoché (bracketing) to mitigate bias and safeguard research integrity, this presentation introduces reflexive art journaling as a practical, creative tool for researchers at all levels to enhance self-awareness. process emotions, and foster resilience. By integrating art-based reflection, participants will learn to navigate the complexities of trauma research, promoting both their own wellbeing and the trustworthiness of their data, ultimately enriching the field and the lives of those they study. Attendees will leave with creative, practical tools to support their self-care, sustain emotional resilience, and remain grounded while engaging deeply with the complex realities of trauma research.

ACES National Conference

Philadelphia, PA

Research Labs in Counselor Education 

Program Summary: Mentoring the next generation of scholars is a critical form of professional advocacy in counselor education. Structured research lab engagement allows students of all graduate levels to learn and apply research beyond the established curriculum, while also developing their research identity. We will present strategies for developing and managing research labs, focusing on task distribution, mentorship approaches, and findings from research assistants’ experiences. We will discuss ethical considerations, including power dynamics and equitable access to research opportunities. The session will integrate the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies to promote culturally responsive mentorship and inclusive research practices.

Exploring the Self-care Practices of Counselors Working with Sex Trafficking Survivors

Program Summary: This transcendental phenomenological study explores the self-care practices of counselors working with sex trafficking survivors. Through ten semi-structured interviews, we identified themes to provide meaningful insight into counselors’ shared self-care practices. The findings contribute to the current literature surrounding professional counselors’ self-care practices when working with vulnerable populations and provide implications for future wellness research in counseling practice.

2025 Trauma and Thriving Symposium

San Antonio, TX

Exploring the Role of Trauma-Focused Training on Counselor Development During Internship

Poster Presentation.

From Research to Action: Preparing Counselors to Support Survivors of ST

Program Summary: This program explores critical insights gained from research on working with survivors of sex trafficking. Presented by experts from the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Counselors Against Sex Trafficking Research Lab, attendees will gain foundational knowledge about sex trafficking, including its prevalence, scope, and impact. The session will highlight warning signs and challenges counselors face when supporting survivors, such as trauma bonding and manipulation tactics. Additionally, participants will gain insights into best practices for identification, discuss ethical considerations, and learn practical strategies for delivering survivor-centered care through trauma-informed care with an emphasis on fostering post-traumatic growth. This presentation also speaks to strategies for self-care when working with this population gained directly from counselors in the field.

ACA Conference & Expo

Orlando, FL

Social Determinants of Health with Sex Trafficking Survivors in the U.S.

Program Summary:A lack of access to social determinants of health (SDOH) negatively impacts well-being, especially when access may be intentionally restricted, as in sex trafficking. Sex trafficking remains misunderstood and a damaging form of human trafficking, still, counselors are uniquely positioned to prevent and/or disrupt the cycle of abuse by working with individuals who are sex-trafficked. To better understand the impact of SODH on sex trafficking survivors, we conducted a grounded theory study. This research presentation highlights our findings and offers recommendations for counseling practice and advocacy. 

Self-Care Practices of Counselors Working with Sex Trafficking Survivors

Program Summary: Sex trafficking research continues to be in demand for many counselors. With an ethical obligation to practice self-care, counselors should be aware of how working with survivors of sex trafficking can impact their professional self-care strategies. This poster will highlight findings from a qualitative study on counselors working with sex trafficking survivors. Attendees will learn about current sex trafficking research, gain an awareness of counselors’ self-care practices when working with survivors of sex trafficking, and learn strategies from the empirical findings of the interviewed counselors for this study.

2022

Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference

Baltimore, MD

Advocating for Research Labs in Counseling programs

Program Summary: Leaders in the counseling profession believe that mentoring, such as mentoring the next generation of scholars in research, is a form of professional advocacy. Research labs allow students of all graduate levels to learn and apply research beyond the established curriculum. Involving master’s and doctoral students in research labs increases their development as researchers and fosters pathways to fulfill their ethical responsibility as consumers of research. Through this poster presentation, attendees will gain insight into establishing a research lab in a counseling program and mentoring students on the research process.

ACA Conference & Expo

Atlanta, GA

Counselor Experiences working with Sex Trafficking Survivors

Program Summary: Sex trafficking is a type of human trafficking with significant physical, behavioral, and mental health consequences. With exposure to at-risk populations, counselors can increase identification and treatment of sex trafficking. This research education session introduces findings from a phenomenological study with nine professional counselors working with sex trafficked survivors. The presenters will also provide implications for clinical practice and strategies for counselors when working with sex trafficking survivors based on the empirical findings.