After a decade of providing community-based mental health services to youth who are commercially sexually exploited, WestCoast Children’s Clinic, in collaboration with the Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice and the National Center for Youth Law, has developed a new framework for treatment: Psychotherapy for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children: A Guide for Community-Based Behavioral Health Practitioners and Agencies.

The guide describes the core components of treatment, the impact of ongoing trauma, and the importance of understanding exploitation in the context of social injustice and systemic oppression.

As awareness of child sex trafficking grows and systematic screening for signs of exploitation improves, the need for information about how to serve youth who are sexually exploited is all the more urgent. Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley heard this echoed throughout California:

“The Human Exploitation and Trafficking (H.E.A.T.) Institute held seven summits across California in 2015 – 2016. In every community we visited, professionals called for more guidance on effective mental health treatment for trafficked youth. This framework advances our ability to help children who are sexually exploited and those professionals who provide psychological counseling and support.”

You can download the Guide here.

Thank you,

Stacey Katz, PsyD
Chief Executive Officer, WestCoast Children’s Clinic

Jesse Hahnel, Esq.
Executive Director, National Center for Youth Law

Julian Ford, PhD
Director, Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice, University of Connecticut Health Center