FSU Launches New Professional Certification in Human Trafficking Prevention and Intervention

Florida State University (FSU) has launched a new online certification in human trafficking prevention and intervention to help professionals develop skills to better understand the dynamics of the various types of human trafficking.

“The Professional Certification in Human Trafficking Prevention and Intervention offers an economical way to provide access to much-needed knowledge and skills to a broad range of professionals who provide services to human trafficking survivors,” says Jim Clark, dean and professor for the FSU College of Social Work. “Professionals can enhance their career potential and gain a thorough understanding of the core concepts of human trafficking dynamics, prevention strategies, and evidence-based trauma-informed interventions.”

Participants will learn of innovative community assistance programs for victims being implemented nationwide. The certification provides information on protections and services for vulnerable populations like at-risk youth, child victims of trafficking, and adults with developmental disabilities while also touching on trauma-informed judicial practices, survivor-centered law enforcement practices, and criminal justice solutions.

“The certification provides professionals across many disciplines with knowledge of foundational state and federal trafficking laws and relevant case law designed to protect adult victim/survivors of human trafficking, and learn strategies to hold traffickers accountable,” says Terry Coonan, executive director of the FSU Center for the Advancement of Human Rights.

Professionals also will learn of the effect of trauma on victims/survivors and how to provide victim-centered trauma-informed services.

“The certification takes a multidisciplinary public health approach to examine root causes and prevention of human trafficking,” says Karen Oehme, director of the Institute for Family Violence Studies. “In addition, up-to-date social science research is used to highlight successful trauma-informed prevention and intervention strategies to assist survivors of human trafficking.”

The certification can provide participants confidence that they can incorporate knowledge of trauma-informed human trafficking prevention and intervention into their own services and practices. Participants also gain the ability to assist their leadership in establishing, strengthening, and maintaining trauma-informed services to trafficking victims throughout their organization.

This self-paced curriculum includes seven chapters and 12 hours of course content with research-based readings, case scenarios, multimedia materials, assignments, and quizzes. Participants from a range of fields, including lawyers, judges, nurses, licensed counselors, and social workers can earn continuing education credits for taking the course. Participants outside of Florida can submit their certification to their licensing board to determine credit awarded.

This certification is designed to benefit human trafficking professionals, coalition and task force members, social services providers, victim advocates, child welfare staff, counselors, psychologists, social workers, guardians ad litem, first responders, medical professionals, lawyers, judges, clergy, juvenile justice professionals, and educators.

Faculty from across Florida State’s campus participated in the review of the new course, in addition to human trafficking stakeholders from across the state. When professionals complete the training, they will receive professional certification from the FSU Center for Academic and Professional Development.

The certification is part of a successful professional development series and was a collaborative project developed by the Clearinghouse on Trauma and Resilience at the Institute for Family Violence Studies, the FSU College of Social Work, the FSU Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, and the FSU Center for Academic and Professional Development.

For questions about fees and enrollment, contact The FSU Center for Academic & Professional Development at resilience@capd.fsu.edu or 850-644-7545. Discounts are provided for FSU alumni and veterans.

— Source: Florida State University

ProtoCall Services Acquires The Shrink Space

ProtoCall Services, a provider of telephonic crisis intervention and behavioral health assessment services, has announced its acquisition of The Shrink Space, a referral management software platform that is widely used in higher education.

ProtoCall Services provides 24/7 phone access to licensed behavioral health clinicians and is used by more than 475 colleges, universities, businesses, and community health organizations across the country. The addition of The Shrink Space enables ProtoCall Services to expand its support for higher education counseling centers and ensure that clients nationwide have access to the community care they need.

“Events in 2020 have made it abundantly clear that new and creative solutions to improve the delivery of behavioral health care are desperately needed, particularly for people who are separated from their typical on-campus care centers,” says Phil Evans, CEO at ProtoCall Services. “We are excited to add The Shrink Space platform to our offerings and empower our customers with even greater integration from a single provider and an additional way to help ensure access to the right care at the right time.”

The Shrink Space is a referral management software service with a national network of more than 4,000 licensed clinicians, prescribers, groups, and treatment centers. Founded by clinical psychologists Dr. Aarti Khullar and Dr. Elizabeth Jago, The Shrink Space’s mission is to improve access to mental health services by transforming the pen-and-paper referral process into a dynamic collaboration between universities, clients, and behavioral health providers. Its platform digitizes the time-intensive referral process in an easy-to-use, highly secure, and accessible platform.

“We created The Shrink Space to reduce barriers that impede mental health care access and to ease schools’ administrative burden by creating a more efficient referral process,” says Khullar, who will join ProtoCall’s executive team as director of provider network services. “We are thrilled to be a part of ProtoCall’s expanded solutions and offer a platform that seamlessly transitions users to the appropriate level of clinically indicated care.”

Along with WellTrack, The Shrink Space joins the ProtoCall+ suite of services, which is a comprehensive behavioral health ecosystem that helps ensure that the right level of care is delivered to every person. Using a thoughtfully integrated stepped-care approach, ProtoCall+ provides digital self-help tools, a national referral network, and a crisis and stabilization call center to help people access the right care when, where, and how they need it most.

— Source: ProtoCall Services