Human Trafficking in Clinical Practice: Recognizing, Responding, and Supporting Survivors

11:00 AM–12:30 PM: Understanding & Recognizing Human Trafficking

• Human Trafficking: Foundations
  • Definitions and core elements; sex trafficking, labor trafficking, and other forms of exploitation; trafficking versus smuggling and consensual sex work; trafficking within intimate and family relationships; force, fraud, coercion, and exploitation; distinctions between adults and minors; facts and myths about human trafficking.

• Why Human Trafficking Matters in Mental Health Practice
  • Mental health professionals as points of identification and intervention; common clinical presentations, including PTSD, complex trauma, depression, anxiety, dissociation, substance use, suicidality, self-harm, and relational difficulties; barriers to disclosure and survival behaviors that may be misinterpreted as resistance or noncompliance.
• Vulnerabilities, Recruitment & Control
  • Prior trauma, housing instability, poverty, child welfare involvement, social isolation, substance use, immigration and migration vulnerabilities, disability, and marginalized populations; grooming, recruitment through relationships and employment, digital recruitment, economic control, threats, intimidation, isolation, surveillance, and coercive attachment.

• Recognizing Trafficking in Clinical Practice
  • Behavioral, psychological, physical, medical, relational, environmental, financial, and employment indicators; controlling companions, restricted communication or movement, fear of authorities, inconsistent histories, differences in presentation among adults and minors, and cultural considerations. Case examples: “Would This Raise Your Concern?” Optional video on clinical recognition and encounters.

12:30–12:45 PM: BREAK

12:45–2:15 PM: Assessment, Safety Planning & Clinical Intervention

• Trauma-Informed & Survivor-Centered Assessment
  • Establishing privacy and psychological safety; trauma-informed interviewing and nonjudgmental questioning; assessing exploitation, coercion, threats, and control; responding to suspected trafficking and disclosure; respecting autonomy, readiness, and cultural considerations; avoiding interrogation and re-traumatization.
• Clinical Risk & Safety Assessment
  • Assessing immediate danger, suicide and self-harm risk, violence, sexual and interpersonal violence, substance use, overdose and withdrawal, acute medical concerns, housing and basic needs, children and dependents, technology and digital safety, protective factors, and survivor-identified priorities.

• Collaborative Safety Planning
  • Individualized, survivor-centered safety planning; survivor-defined goals; safe people, locations, and communication; transportation and emergency contacts; technology safety; planning for escalating violence; considerations involving children and dependents; harm reduction, resource planning, and referrals without relying on “rescue” approaches.

• Ethical, Legal & Clinical Practice Considerations
  • Confidentiality and its limits; mandated reporting and distinctions between adults and minors; state-specific requirements; informed consent and autonomy; objective, trauma-informed documentation; information-sharing and privacy; multidisciplinary collaboration and community referrals; professional roles and boundaries; vicarious trauma and clinician self-awareness.
• Evidence-Informed Treatment & Recovery
  • Safety, stabilization, and engagement through therapeutic alliance, grounding, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, psychoeducation, coping skills, and crisis stabilization. Evidence-informed approaches, including phase-based trauma treatment, Motivational Interviewing, harm reduction, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, trauma-focused CBT when developmentally appropriate, substance use treatment, relational and attachment-focused interventions, grief and loss work, and interventions addressing shame, self-blame, identity, autonomy, social connection, and community reintegration.