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Roberts Wesleyan University Hosts Guest Lecture: “Assessment and Intervention of Sex Trafficking: A Guide for Helping Professionals”
Presenter Julie Chapus will teach guests how to effectively identify and intervene in cases of human trafficking
On Friday, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m., Roberts Wesleyan University will host an in-person guest lecture, “Assessment and Intervention of Sex Trafficking: A Guide for Helping Professionals,” with guest speaker Julie Chapus, founder and director of Miss Julie’s School of Beauty. The presentation will equip guests with the knowledge and skills to understand, assess and intervene with cases of sex trafficking in their community and is free to attend for working professionals, community members and students interested in tackling this pervasive and complex issue.
Recognizing that professionals working in fields such as social work, criminal justice, education, psychology and nursing often have first-hand exposure to sex trafficking with minimal knowledge of how to address the problem or what services are available, Chapus will provide information and strategies to participants to increase their knowledge and skills when confronted with these instances in their communities.
Chapus will also share information about the model she developed for Miss Julie’s School of Beauty, which offers a safe environment for survivors and at-risk youth with support from the community. A Roberts Wesleyan alumnus, Chapus blended her years of experience as a social worker intervening with sex trafficking survivors with her cosmetology knowledge and skills to create the school, which provides a permanent means of escape for trafficking survivors through cosmetology training and sustainable employment.
"At Roberts, we want to educate the community about sex trafficking, which is a pervasive, global concern that affects countless lives within the Greater Rochester community,” said Dr. Brenda McQuillan, associate professor of social work and Master of Social Work program director. “This presentation will equip students in the helping professions, as well as the general public, with the tools needed to understand, recognize and combat this critical societal issue."
The event will be held on campus in the Smith Science Center in Lake Auditorium at 2301 Westside Drive, Rochester, NY 14624. Registration is not required in advance. For more information, contact Brenda McQuillan at mcquillan_brenda@roberts.edu.