Tina Andrews is an educator, lawyer, and entrepreneur, and the Founder and Director of Adore Family Services, Inc., a therapeutic foster care agency serving children and families across Northern Virginia and promoting adoption through foster care.
...Sophora Acheson serves as the Executive Director and Co-President of Ruby’s Place, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to ending domestic violence, human trafficking, and violent crime through hope, advocacy, and connection.
...Aly Angel is a Nurse Practitioner and U.S. Army Veteran. She began her career caring for the underserved, uninsured and underinsured community. She believes in the importance of giving back and paying it forward. She has lived in different states and countries and has a wealth of knowledge of cultural awareness and cultural competence. She has served on various committees in a variety of organizations. She is alumni of the AANP Executive Leadership Program. Aly l has served as an item writer, item reviewer and now serves on CMSRN Test Development Committee for the Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB). She currently serves on the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing (ISAPN) Awards Committee and Program Committee. She is the Nurse Practitioner in Women’s Health (NPWH) Regional Community Chair for the Great Lakes Region.
...Lisa Tickel is a resilient survivor of childhood abuse, dedicated to an inspiring journey of healing and transformation. After spending many years in survival mode, simply trying to get by, Lisa worked diligently to heal and reach a new chapter in her life. Her personal experiences have empowered her to help others embark on their own healing journeys. Her goal here is to help others shorten their suffering and she offers two ways to help others.
...DR. DAVID CHOTKA has taught nationally and internationally on prayer principles and equipping for more than twenty-five years. He is the founder and director of Spirit-Equip Ministries, an organization designed to help people grow in the spiritual disciplines one small step at a time (www.spiritequip.com).
...Laura K. Connell is a trauma-informed author and coach who helps people heal from the devastating impact of family scapegoating and narcissistic abuse. She writes about these and other dysfunctional family dynamics at her website, laurakconnell.com.
...Jennisue Jessen is a distinguished expert with over 25 years of experience in the field of human trafficking. Her remarkable journey, from being sold into the sex trade at age 4 to becoming a beacon of hope and change, is nothing short of inspiring. As the Founder & CEO of Compass 31, an international counter-trafficking organization, she has dedicated her life to fighting the darkness of human trafficking.
...Can abuse jeopardize your physical health? The emotional toll abuse takes on a person is common knowledge, but can abuse harm the victim’s physical health? I have heard that the answer to this question is an absolute “Yes!” But how do we know that statement to be true? How can we know if a person would have developed a particular physical ailment if they had never been a victim of abuse?
...For many trauma survivors, healing and recovery is not just about overcoming the past; it’s also about battling maladaptive behaviors like addiction that often follow. Addiction, whether to substances like alcohol and drugs (including prescribed medications) or behaviors like overspending, pornography, food binging, or gambling – often emerge as coping mechanisms for those of us who have experienced and survived abuse or trauma. Here’s a closer look at why trauma survivors struggle with addictions and the importance of addressing both issues together.
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