SOCIAL WORKER TO DISCUSS TRAUMA AND HEALING; CEU AVAILABLE
Elizabeth Bach-Van Valkenburgh, LISW, associate director of the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, will present "Trauma and the Power of Healing," at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 18, in Founders Hall as a part of Bluffton University’s annual Carl Smucker Distinguished Lecture Series. The event is free and open to the public.
Additionally, Bach Van-Valkenburgh will give a workshop on "The Impact of Sexual Trauma Across the Life Span and Interventions for Healing," from 1:15-4:30 p.m. in the Marbeck Center AB Room. Sponsored by the Bluffton University social work program, social worker CEU is available for both the Forum presentation and workshop. Visit www.bluffton.edu/swk/smucker/ or contact Susan Collier at 419-358-3435 for details.
Whether trauma is experienced as a personal, organizational or public event, the dynamics of coping and healing are similar. In Forum, Bach-Van Valkenburgh will share her knowledge of working with trauma survivors in a manner beneficial to a general audience.
Co-sponsored by the Rape Crisis Coalition of Allen County, Bach-Van Valkenburgh’s workshop will examine the impact of sexual trauma across the life span and the implications for treatment and long-term recovery. Using a developmental lens as a tool for understanding the far reaching impact of sexual trauma can assist clinicians in better understanding and developing effective interventions with their clients and impact long-term recovery. This workshop will also touch on adaptive and mal-adaptive coping skills that arise out of trauma management and how to address coping strategy in recovery from sexual assault.
Bach-Van Valkenburgh has extensive practice experience in direct-service positions and supervisory and administrative positions. Her work experience includes hospital social work and private practice. Among other supervisory roles, she has served as clinical supervisor of the Children Who Witness Violence program. She currently serves as an adjunct instructor at Case Western Reserve University and at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland. She is increasingly in demand nationally as an expert and trainer on working with survivors of sexual assault and community approaches to healing trauma.
The Carl Smucker Distinguished Lecture Series invites to the campus persons who have made significant contributions to the field of social work. The series serves to inform and educate the campus community and general public about issues of social concern. The lectureship is named for Carl Smucker, MSW, who began teaching social work courses at Bluffton University in 1944. Bluffton was one of the first colleges in Ohio to offer undergraduate social work courses. Smucker proceeded to develop and refine the social work curriculum throughout his 34 years of teaching.
Jill A. Duling, public relations office, 3/6/08
