TV Journalist Dominic Carter was the keynote speaker at the Mayo Clinic in La Crosse Wisconsin. Conference on Child Maltreatment

1. ConferencePlanningCommittee
PhillipNielsen,ConferencePlanningChair-FranciscanSkempHealthcare
CathyPupp,ConferenceCoordinator-FranciscanSkempHealthcare
DanielBroughton,MayoClinic
VictorVeith,NationalChildProtectionTrainingCenter
AbbyPoppie,FamilyResources
AliciaPlace,LaCrosseSchoolDistrict
ColleenMulder,CooperativeEducationalServicesAgency(CESA)#4
DeannaHoffman,LaCrosseCountyHumanServices
JeanneMeyer,SteppingStones
JenniferLinse,GundersenLutheran
LisaFink,MayoClinic
MelonyHansen,VernonCountyDepartmentofHumanServices
MonicaOlson,FranciscanSkempHealthcare
NancySolberg,FranciscanSkempHealthcare
NicoleMilliren,LaCrosseCountyHumanServices
TonyDeLap,LaCrosseCityPoliceDepartment
PamelaHanson,FranciscanSkempHealthcare
14th Annual
La Crosse
Child
Maltreatment
Conference,
May 12-13, 2011,
La Crosse, WI
Visit our website:
www.franciscanskemp.org/childmaltreatment
Non-Profit Org.
US POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT #10
LA CROSSE, WI
54601
700 West Avenue South
La Crosse, WI 54601 La Crosse
Child
Maltreatment
Conference
14th
Annual
Brought to you by Franciscan Skemp Healthcare, Mayo Clinic
and National Child ProtectionTraining Center
With support from:
Cooperative Educational Services Agency (CESA) #4
Coulee Region Child Abuse PreventionTask Force
Family & Children’s Center – Stepping Stones
Gundersen Lutheran
Midwest Regional Children’s Advocacy Center
Visit us at www.franciscanskemp.org/childmaltreatment
May 12-13, 2011
Radisson Hotel, La Crosse,WI

2. Who should attend the 14th Annual
La Crosse Child Maltreatment Conference?
We hope you will take advantage of the remarkable lineup of national and regional experts in the field of
child protection and the opportunity to cultivate ongoing working relationships with professionals who
share a passion for children and working with families to address children’s safety needs.
The two-day conference will be of special interest to frontline child abuse professionals including:
• child advocacy center staff
• child protection workers
• law enforcement
• prosecutors
Conference Objectives
This nationally recognized conference will address strategies the multidisciplinary team can use to
intervene when child maltreatment is reported, collaborate with community and family to protect
children, and ensure justice for child victims of abuse/neglect.
Continuing Education Credits
Nursing
Franciscan Skemp Healthcare, Mayo Health System is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Wisconsin
Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
11.5 contact hours being offered
Physicians
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation
Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of Franciscan Skemp Healthcare, Mayo Clinic and
National Child Protection Training Center. Franciscan Skemp Healthcare is accredited by the Wisconsin Medical Society to
provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Social Workers
Gundersen Lutheran, La Crosse, WI, provider #1089, is approved as a provider for social work continuing education by the
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB). www.aswb.org. Approval period: November 15, 2009 – November 15, 2012.
Gundersen Lutheran maintains responsibility for the program. Licensed social workers should contact their individual state
jurisdiction to review current continuing education requirements for licensure renewal.
Social workers participating in this course will receive 11.5 continuing education clock hours.
Attorneys
The conference materials will be submitted to the Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners for Guardian ad litem education credits.
National Child Protection Training Center has applied for MN CLE Board credits for the Minnesota law professionals who attend
this conference.
Law Enforcement
This conference has been approved by the MN POST Board for law enforcement professionals.
Location & Accommodations
La Crosse, WI is a historic, vibrant city of 50,000 people nestled between bluffs and the Mississippi River. Educational,
recreational and cultural opportunities flourish. Spring is a beautiful season in which to enjoy all that La Crosse has to
offer – hiking, fishing, shopping, theater productions, museums and more. Visit our website for local hotel accommodations.
Registration Form
2011 La Crosse Child Maltreatment Conference Registration
Registration fees include tuition, meals and conference materials. Advance registration is required and must be received no later than May
5. Refunds or cancellations (with the exception of a $25 processing fee) will be given until May 5. Cancellations after May 5 will not be re-
funded. Conference organizers retain the right to cancel the program. A limited number of scholarships are available. Call (608) 392-4172 to
request an application, which is due April 28.
Name_______________________________________________________________________ Title__________________________________________________
Organization_ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Street Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Daytime Phone_ ____________________________________________ Email Address____________________________________________________________
Professional Profile: ❏ Child advocacy center staff ❏ Child protection worker ❏ Law enforcement ❏ Prosecutor
❏ Forensic interviewer ❏ Medical or mental health professional ❏ Emergency response personnel ❏ Victim/witness advocate
Conference Fees: ❏ $190 – full conference ❏ $100 – single day
❏ $180/person – group discount for 2 or more attendees from same organization (registration for full conference required)
Amount Enclosed:
❏ Checks payable to Franciscan Skemp Healthcare/1211010 ❏ Credit Card: ❏ Visa ❏ MasterCard ❏ Discover
Card Number________________________________________________________Expiration Date____________________VIN/CVV Code___________________
Cardholder’s Name__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Signature__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Return no later than May 5 to Cathy Pupp, Franciscan Skemp Healthcare, Public Affairs, 700 West Ave S., La Crosse, WI 54601
Continuing Education Requested
❏ Continuing Medical Education ❏ WI Continuing Legal Education
❏ WI Continuing Nursing Education ❏ MN Continuing Legal Education
❏ WI Social Work ❏ MN POST
Please identify any accessibility needs that will ensure your full participation in the conference. ___________________________________________________
Breakout Session Selections – Mark 1 and 2 in boxes for 1st and 2nd choices for each session
May 12
Session 1: ❑ Providing Mental Health to Infants and Toddlers: Principles of Intervention for Parents and Their Very Young Children
❑ “What’s Going On In There?” Suicidal Behavior in Adolescents
❑ Victim Behavior: Assessing Credibility (Part 1)
❑ When Faith Hurts: Overcoming Spirituality Based Blocks and Problems Before, During and After the Forensic Interview
Session 2: ❑ “Developmental Repair” An Intervention for Children who Struggle with Trauma and Disruption
❑ What’s Going On In There? Adolescents and Criminal Justice – Focus on Cognition, Values and Influence on the
Adolescent Brain
❑ Victim Behavior: Assessing Credibility (Part 2)
❑ Emotional Abuse
May 13
Session 1: ❑ The Predator Next Door…Empowering Children is the KEY to Prevention
❑ Investigating the Technology Used by Both Predators and Victims in Cases of Child Pornography and Other Victimization
❑ “When a Child Stands Alone”: Corroborating Evidence
❑ Etiology, Assessment and Treatment of PTSD in Military Veterans - Implications for Child Abuse
Session 2: ❑ Collateral Damage…Effective Strategies in Dealing with the Secondary Victims of ‘The Predator Next Door’
❑ Child Abuse in Child Custody Cases
❑ Resources of NCMEC for Investigators and Prosecutors
❑ Addressing Medical Neglect – Best Practices to Address the Health Needs of the Child
• forensic interviewers
• medical and mental health professionals
• emergency response personnel
• victim/witness advocates
Fax 608-392-9416

3. Providing Mental Health to Infants and Toddlers: Principles
of Intervention for Parents and their Very Young Children
Anne Gearity, PhD, LICSW
This session discusses the concept of the parent/child relationship as the core of emerg-
ing mental health for young children and outlines a developmental model for mental health,
recognizing how trauma and disruption become causes of emotional and behavioral dis-
orders. Anne will review the basic principles of parent/child engagement and community
responses that help mediate risks for young children and their parents.
What’s Going On In There? Suicidal Behavior in Adoles-
cents
David Mays, MD, PhD
This session addresses suicide risk and suicide risk assessment in adolescents. Individual
and community interventions to reduce suicide risk will be explored.
Victim Behavior: Assessing Credibility (Part 1)
Olga Trujillo, JD
This interactive session builds on Olga’s plenary presentation. Through a Q & A format,
gain an inside-out perspective on some of the behaviors you’ve seen in children,
adolescents and adults that seem contrary to what they are reporting. This is a two-part
workshop.
When Faith Hurts: Overcoming Spirituality Based Blocks and
Problems Before, During and After the Forensic Interview
Victor Vieth, JD
Perpetrators of child sexual abuse often use religion to justify their abuse and most child
molesters communicate toxic religious themes to the children they harm. As a result, many
children suffer significant spiritual damage, which impairs their ability to disclose abuse
or to heal. In this session, learn of research documenting how offenders use religion in
the abuse of children and the various blocks to disclosure it creates. Victor Vieth will also
present concrete reforms faith institutions need to implement to reduce, if not eliminate,
spiritual injuries that result from child sexual abuse.
“Developmental Repair” An Intervention for Children who
Struggle with Trauma and Disruption
Anne Gearity, PhD, LICSW
This session will review the basic principles of Developmental Repair and, using case
examples, demonstrate how this shift in understanding children changes intervention
strategies used with children who have been maltreated or traumatized. Anne will discuss
applications to parenting, child welfare, schools and other settings that work with chal-
lenged children.
What’s Going On In There? Adolescents and Criminal
Justice – Focus on Cognition, Values and Influence on the
Adolescent Brain
David Mays, MD, PhD
This session directly addresses what we know about how adolescents make decisions
and how to influence them. Issues of adolescent competency will be addressed, as well as
the effects of peers and biology.
Victim Behavior: Assessing Credibility (Part 2)
Olga Trujillo, JD
This interactive session builds on Olga’s plenary presentation and first breakout. Through a
Q & A format, gain an inside-out perspective on some of the behaviors you’ve seen in chil-
dren, adolescents and adults that seem contrary to what they are reporting. Part 2 focuses
on trauma and disassociation from an inside-out perspective. We’ll delve more into how
trauma can impact the way people think and act.
Emotional Abuse
Victor Vieth, JD
Victor Vieth gives an overview of the literature concerning the emotional abuse of a child.
With this literature as a backdrop, he will share concrete methods for investigating these
cases, including the interview of an emotionally abused child, and also concrete steps for
proving these cases in court.
Conference Agenda
Thursday, May 12
8:00am Welcome
8:15am – 9:15am Protecting Young Children:
Why We Must Pay Attention to Infants and Toddlers in the Child Welfare System. Anne Gearity, PhD, LICSW
9:15am – 9:30am Break
9:30am – 10:30am What’s Going On In There? A Look Into the Adolescent Brain and What Can Go Wrong. David Mays, MD, PhD
10:30am-11:30am The Impact of Domestic Violence: A Personal Journey Revealed. Olga Trujillo, JD
11:30am – Noon Ask the Experts: A Panel Discussion about Violence Across the Life Span
Noon – 1pm Lunch
“Great Kids Start with You” Award Presentation
1:00pm – 2:15pm Breakout Session #1 Options
• Providing Mental Health to Infants & Toddlers: Principles of Intervention for Parents and Their Very
Young Children. Anne Gearity, PhD, LICSW
• “What’s Going On In There?” Suicidal Behavior in Adolescents. David Mays, MD, PhD
• Victim Behavior: Assessing Credibility (Two part session). Olga Trujillo, JD
• When Faith Hurts: Overcoming Spirituality Based Blocks and Problems Before, During and After the
Forensic Interview. Victor Vieth, JD
2:15pm – 2:45pm Ice Cream Sundae Buffet
2:45pm – 4:00pm Breakout Session #2 Options
• Developmental Repair: An Intervention for Children Who Struggle with Trauma and Disruption.
Anne Gearity, PhD, LICSW
• “What’s Going On In There?” Adolescents and Criminal Justice – Focus on Cognition, Values and Influence
on the Adolescent Brain. David Mays, MD, PhD
• Victim Behavior: Assessing Credibility (Part 2). Olga Trujillo, JD
• Emotional Abuse. Victor Vieth, JD
4:00pm Closing
Friday, May 13
8:00am Welcome
8:15am – 9:15am Shattered, But Picking Up the Pieces…YOU are on the Front Lines of Victim Recovery. Darlene Ellison, MS
9:15am – 9:30am Break
9:30am – 10:45am Breakout Session #1 Options
• The Predator Next Door…Empowering Children is the KEY to Prevention. Darlene Ellison, MS
• Investigating the Technology Used by Both Predators and Victims in Cases of Child Pornography.
Coulee Region Children's Internet Protection Task Force
• “When a Child Stands Alone”: Corroborating Evidence. Victor Vieth, JD
• Etiology, Assessment and Treatment of PTSD in Military Veterans - Implications for Child Abuse.
Michael Brandt, PhD
10:45am – Noon Breakout Session #2 Options
• Collateral Damage…Effective Strategies in Dealing with the Secondary Victims of ‘The Predator Next Door’.
Darlene Ellison, MS
• Child Abuse in Child Custody Cases. Rita Johnson
• Resources of NCMEC for Investigators and Prosecutors. Michelle Collins
• Addressing Medical Neglect – Best Practices to Address the Health Needs of the Child. Marcie Billings, MD
Noon - 1pm Lunch
1:00pm – 2:00pm Patterns and Trends in the Online Victimization of Children. Michelle Collins
2:00pm – 3:00pm The Art of Being Positively Selfish. Fred Kusch
3:00pm Closing
The Predator Next Door…Empowering Children is the KEY
to Prevention
Darlene Ellison, MS
A coach. A neighbor. A school volunteer. Child predators could be any of these. In Dar-
lene’s case, he was her husband. This presentation focuses on derailing the efforts of the
predators at home, at school and online.
Investigating the Technology Used by Both Predators and
Victims in Cases of Child Pornography and Other Victimization
Members of the Coulee Region Children’s Internet Protection Task Force
This session investigates the technology used by both predators and victims in cases
of child pornography and other victimization. The task force members will share how to
investigate these cases, what is evidence and how to gather the necessary evidence to
prosecute a case. Actual cases will be used to demonstrate these methods.
“When a Child Stands Alone”: Corroborating Evidence
Victor Vieth, JD
Working as a team with other participants, learn to examine the child’s disclosures and
find the corroborating physical evidence in cases of child sexual abuse to increase the
likelihood of successful prosecution.
Etiology, Assessment and Treatment of PTSD in Military
Veterans - Implications for Child Abuse
Michael Brandt, PhD
Trauma that is persistently re-experienced manifests itself both physiologically and
psychologically. The physiological etiology is multifactorial in nature. At its core, however,
is the notion that the brain develops a hair-trigger reaction to the release of adrenalin.
The psychological factors most commonly correlated with abusive behavior are feelings
of detachment, social isolation, reduced capacity to manage stress, visceral rage, anhe-
donia, foreshortened sense of future and avoidance. Although this session focuses on
experience with military veterans, the resulting research findings and implementation for
treatment is applicable for children suffering from trauma as well as adults.
Collateral Damage…Effective Strategies in Dealing with
the Secondary Victims of ‘The Predator Next Door’
Darlene Ellison, MS
Betrayal is not about one perpetrator and one victim. Betrayal is a high-intensity hurricane
with an overwhelming aftermath. It affects primary victims, secondary victims, all those
who came into contact with the perpetrator and all those who came into contact with the
victim. This presentation is delivered with a “twist”— Darlene uses her own story as an
ex-wife of a child predator as the “case study.”
Child Abuse in Child Custody Cases
Rita Johnson
Custody and visitation disputes are stressful and complex processes. They become even
more challenging when they involve interpersonal violence or child abuse allegations.
This session discusses the frequency of domestic violence and child abuse allegations in
custody and visitation disputes and how safety outcomes may be improved in court cases
for victims of interpersonal violence and their children.
Resources of NCMEC for Investigators and Prosecutors
Michelle Collins
This session explains the resources NCMEC can provide to law enforcement agencies &
prosecution teams working child sexual exploitation cases. The discussion will address
multiple ways the CyberTipline can generate, de-conflict, and corroborate cases as well as
the efforts of the Child Victim Identification Program (CVIP) to rescue unidentified sexually
exploited children.
Addressing Medical Neglect – Best Practices to Address
the Health Needs of the Child
Marcie Billings, MD
Dr. Billings discusses the complex and challenging issue of medical neglect and will
describe best practice strategies to achieve favorable outcomes for patients and families.
Breakout Session Descriptions

4. ProtectingYoung Children:Why We Must
Pay Attention to Infants andToddlers in the
Child Welfare System
Professionals working with children and their families
need to understand how to recognize when maltreatment
(abuse and/or neglect) diminishes the child’s learning
and adaptation, and offer interventions that support the
child’s safety needs and strengthen families. Anne
Gearity discusses the critical social/emotional
learning that happens in the first three years of life
and why it is important that we build better models
of prevention and repair to reduce intergenerational
perpetuation of maltreatment.
What’s Going On InThere? A Look Into the
Adolescent Brain and What Can Go Wrong
Dr. Mays takes a look at how we understand the differ-
ences of the adolescent brain – its function and vulner-
abilities, and the most common emotional disorders such
as substance abuse, depression, and bipolar disorder.
Treatment and practical management will be discussed.
The Impact of Domestic Violence: A Person-
al Journey Revealed
Olga Trujillo is a survivor, a former U.S. Department of
Justice attorney and an advocate. She weaves her
personal and professional experiences to bring us an
inside-out view of the impact of violence on a survivor -
how she coped through the domestic violence she was
drawn into as a child, the sexual attacks she endured
and what we can do to enhance our responses to
survivors today.
Ask the Experts – A Panel Discussion about
Violence Across the Life Span
Family violence increases risks to children’s safety and
poses significant challenges for all involved profession-
als. This session provides an opportunity for the various
disciplines to share complementary perspectives, roles
and mandates critical to protecting children and families
while ensuring that children continue to be involved with
their families.
Presenters will be available for questions and discussion
to help you understand how interdisciplinary collabora-
tion helps address children’s needs and facilitate care
planning to treatment and prosecution.
Anne Gearity, PhD
Anne Gearity, a clinical social worker, is in independent
practice, working with children, adolescents and adults.
She teaches child development and clinical practice on
graduate and post graduate levels. She also consults
with community agencies, and has research interests
in children and adolescents who present with serious
aggressive and disruptive behaviors. Currently, Anne is
part of the Washburn Child Guidance Clinic staff that are
developing and evaluating, with the support of the Bush
Foundation, a treatment model for these very at-risk
children.
David Mays, MD, PhD
Dr. Mays is a licensed physician in the state of Wiscon-
sin. He is board certified by the American Board of Psy-
chiatry and Neurology, and has Additional Qualifications
in Forensic Psychiatry. Over the last 23 years, Dr. Mays
has practiced psychiatry in a variety of settings, includ-
ing an HMO, an assertive community treatment program,
private clinical and forensic practice, and as the clinical
director of the forensic program at the Mendota Mental
Health Institute. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor on
the faculty of the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
OlgaTrujillo, JD
Olga Trujillo is an independent consultant, nationally
renowned speaker, survivor and attorney dedicated to
enhancing the understanding of – and building effective
responses to – violence against women and children.
Olga grew up in a family ravaged by violence. Daily, she
witnessed her father’s brutal and terrifying attacks on her
mother. She herself suffered constant physical, emotion-
al and sexual abuse – from her father, her brothers, and
as she grew older, many others outside her family. With
astounding clarity borne from years of intensive work,
Olga has unraveled the impact of violence in her life. It is
this insight – combined with over a decade of experience
working with advocates from a national to a grass-roots
level – which guides and inspires her work today.
Shattered, But Picking Up the Pieces…
YOU are on the Front Lines of Victim
Recovery
From the moment you come into contact with primary
or secondary victims, you become a key part of their
emotional betrayal recovery. This workshop applies to
all professionals that, during the course of an arrest,
investigation and recovery, will come into direct contact
with victims. Darlene Ellison shares her gut-wrenching
story and lessons learned from her own emotional roller
coaster as the “collateral damage” that is left in the
wake of crimes against children.
Patterns andTrends in the Online
Victimization of Children
Michelle Collins demonstrates recent patterns and
trends of online victimization mined from NCMEC data as
well as intriguing law enforcement investigations. Topics
will include the vulnerabilities of children using online
gaming, cellular devices and virtual communities. In
addition, this session explores the difficult issue of “self-
exploitation” that is increasing in prevalence across the
country. Various industry efforts to reduce online child
victimization will be presented.
The Art of Being Positively Selfish
In most areas of life people are often asked to give more
of themselves. This is especially true when it comes to
professionals who deal with child maltreatment. As a
result, the balance in their lives and work is thrown out
of whack. While helping you find ways to better balance
your life and work, Fred will blend humor, story and per-
sonal experience to illustrate his premise that you can’t
take care of others unless you first take care of yourself.
Join Fred Kusch and learn the “Art of Being Positively
Selfish.”
Darlene Ellison, MS
Darlene Ellison is the award-winning author of “The
Predator Next Door” and national children’s advocate.
Darlene combines her technical training in child psychol-
ogy and her true-life, personal story as the ex-wife of a
child predator who was a NAMBLA member and arrest-
ed in a well-publicized FBI sting operation in 2005 as she
speaks on child abuse prevention and how to empower
victims to begin healing. In her efforts to teach parents,
grandparents, educators and caregivers about the
dangers of child predators, Darlene has been featured on
The Oprah Winfrey Show, 20/20 and Dateline NBC.
Michelle Collins
Michelle Collins is the Vice President of the Exploited
Children Division (ECD) and Assistant to the President
at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
(NCMEC) in Alexandria, Virginia. She directly oversees
the CyberTipline, the congressionally-authorized
recipient of reports on child sexual exploitation for the
public and U.S. based Electronic Service Providers.
Ms. Collins spearheaded the creation of the Child Victim
Identification Program (CVIP) which was designed to
locate and identify unknown child victims featured in
sexually abusive images as well as assist with child
pornography prosecutions across the country. Each
week, CVIP examines and analyzes approximately
250,000 child pornography images and videos.
Fred Kusch
With diverse and extensive experience in business
management, education and human resources, Fred
Kusch knows the importance of humor and balancing
life with work. His philosophies, innovation and personal
approach have inspired audiences throughout the United
States as well as in England, Russia and Scotland. Using
many stories and focusing on the person, Fred inspires
attendees to reflect and develop new viewpoints along
with new resolve. He leads participants to laugh, cry and
think.
Plenary Session Descriptions Plenary Session Presenter Bios