Violence, Trauma, Healing & Leadership
Last week’s International Conference on Forensic Nursing Science and Practice was my first time in Dallas, and I have to say I found it a surprisingly enjoyable city. And, working with my colleague Caroline Onischak was a dream – she really knows this area and had a great deal of valuable insight and information to offer. Which, considering the subject matter, is helpful – because the topic of sexual assault is one of the most painful, difficult and, treatment-wise, underserved areas we must address.
Preparing this talk on trauma was a stark reminder of how the largest human rights violations in the world are by men against women that they supposedly love. Looking at the grim statistics and the treatment options out there reminds us of how much research needs to be done on how to make people better. We have surprisingly few therapies for working with people who have trauma-related disorders such as PTSD – and nothing yet that restores people to their baseline. So while there's a lot of good stuff out there, we have a long way to go.
On the upside, preparing and delivering this talk was also a glorious reminder of how much progress we've made as well. Even though the numbers are far larger than we would ever wish, we've made dramatic progress and reducing violence against women in large parts of the world.
What was truly wonderful about the conference were the people there – a remarkable, talented, marvelous group of colleagues who are deeply committed to helping victims of violence. Most of the people we presented to were sexual assault nurse examiners, the men and women (mostly women), who see the ugliness firsthand. It was moving to be able to talk to them about the effects of the things that they see every day.
I walked away with hope – and gratitude. Together, I know we are making a difference. Mostly due to the amazing care, leadership and advocacy of women, we can continue to reduce violence against women, improve care, and increase the efficacy of healing therapies.
It will take every one of us, and I am deeply grateful and honored to be a part of this work.