SBCPA/VCPA Salon: Human Trafficking in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties

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SBCPA & VCPA Salon

September 23, 2022

12PM - 1:30PM

Human Trafficking in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties

with Cassy Brezner, LMFT, and Landon Ranck,

Santa Barbara County Human Trafficking Task Force

Presenters:

Cassy Brezner is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who currently runs a private practice in Santa Barbara. Cassy uses her free time to support causes she is passionate about, including volunteering for the Human Trafficking Task Force and service as Board Chair for the Santa Barbara Response Network. Cassy’s clinical training and experience has allowed her to work in various capacities with a diverse population for organizations such as Cottage Hospital COPE, Casa Serena, Santa Barbara Unified School District, Acacia Counseling Center, and others. Cassy has served in both direct support and advocacy roles for human trafficking survivors since 2017. Cassy served on the Santa Barbara Alliance for Community Transformation - Coalition for Freedom committee raising awareness and funds for local sex trafficking survivors. In 2021 Cassy was invited to join Santa Barbara County’s Human Trafficking Task Force, to facilitate Human Trafficking 101 trainings, in an effort to equip our community with necessary information to prevent trafficking, and support local survivors.

Landon Ranck, BA, currently serves as the Administrative Manager for the Santa Barbara Alliance for Community Transformation. In his role, he manages the Education Working Group of the SB County Human Trafficking Task Force, the operations of the City of Santa Barbara ACT On Homelessness Coalition, the City of Goleta Regional Action Plan to address impacts of homelessness, and various "Neighborhood Navigation Center" service sites throughout the City of Santa Barbara. He also serves as the coordinator for "COVID-19's Impact on People Experiencing Homelessness in Santa Barbara", a community-based study facilitated in partnership between SB ACT and the Cottage Center for Population Health, and a project mapping youth Behavioral Health Assets throughout Santa Barbara County in partnership with the Cottage Center for Population Health and YouthWell. A Santa Barbara native, Landon is grateful for the opportunity to serve the community in which he was raised.

Course Outline:

Timeline:

12:00- 12:05pm Introduction of speakers and opening remarks

12:05- 1:15pm Presentation

1:15- 1:30pm Q&A/Evaluations

Topic:

Human trafficking is a hidden and troubling reality in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Over the last 5 years, more than 200 confirmed survivors have been identified in SB County alone, and we suspect there are many more that are currently under the radar. It is essential that local healthcare and mental health clinicians are aware of the prevalence of human trafficking in our community and are able to identify common warning signs that point to human trafficking. This presentation will focus on identification of warning signs of trafficking during clinical practice, and will provide training in best practice in response and care coordination when warning signs of trafficking are identified by clinicians. 

Cassy Brezner, LMFT, and Landon Ranck will provide an overview of federal definitions of human trafficking, key warning signs, and risk factors that can be used to identify trafficking. We will unpack the local dimensions of both sex and labor trafficking based on current, local data, and will share resources available for local survivors. 

Participants will gain knowledge regarding the various ways to identify survivors of trafficking as well as best practices for reporting local suspicions of trafficking. 

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the presentation, attendees will be able to:

1. Describe the local/regional dimensions of human trafficking;
2. Name at least 5 'warning signs' and/or risk factors to identify survivors of trafficking;
3. Follow SB County and Ventura County protocols in reporting suspicions of human trafficking;
4. Identify at least 3 key services available to local survivors of trafficking.

Continuing Education:

CPA is co-sponsoring with Santa Barbara County Psychological Association (SBCPA) and Ventura County Psychological Association (VCPA). The California Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CPA maintains responsibility for this program and its contents. CPA co-sponsored credit is also accepted by the Board of Behavioral Sciences for their licensees.

Important Notice:

Those who attend the workshop and complete the CPA evaluation form will receive 1.5 continuing education credits. Please note that APA CE rules require that we give credit only to those who attend the entire workshop. Those arriving more than 15 minutes after the start time or leaving before the workshop is completed will not receive CE credits.

Please note: There is no charge for SBCPA and VCPA members. Non-members are welcome to join this event at a cost of $25.

This salon will be held via Zoom.