Young people who appear resistant to services are often responding to trauma, exploitation, loss, and repeated experiences of systems that have failed to meet their needs. Rather than asking, "Why won't they engage?" This session invites participants to ask, "What has happened, and what does safety look like from this young person's perspective?"

Through a survivor-informed, trauma-informed, and healing-centered framework, participants will explore how survival strategies are often misunderstood as resistance. This interactive session will examine practical approaches for building trust, increasing youth voice, recognizing readiness for change, and supporting safety without relying on compliance. Participants will leave with concrete strategies they can immediately apply when working with youth impacted by trafficking, exploitation, complex trauma, and other forms of victimization. Register here.

Presenter: Josie Feemster