Virginia Sex Offender Treatment Association

Keynote Presenter - Dr. James R. Worling

“Changing perspectives: Focusing on strengths and protective factors with adolescents who have sexually offended”

Our work with adolescents who have offended sexually has long been influenced by a number of myths and assumptions. Indeed, it was widely believed for many years that these adolescents are highly similar and that they are all dishonest, disordered, delinquent, deficient, and sexually deviant. During the past three decades, however, there has been increasing interest in learning more about the etiology, assessment, treatment, and management of sexual offending behaviors by adolescents. Following a critical review of the risk-focused tools and approaches that have been popular for many years, we will review some of the exciting, emerging research regarding protective factors—factors that protect against sexually abusive behavior—and we will introduce the benefits of including strengths and protective factors in our approach to assessment, treatment, and supervision.

Dr. Worling will additionally present seminars on:

“How strengths, protective factors, and a positive focus impact assessment and treatment with youth who have offended sexually”

AND

Introduction to the PROFESOR

(Protective + Risk Observations For Eliminating Sexual Offense Recidivism)

James R. Worling, Ph.D., C.Psych., ATSAF is a clinical and forensic psychologist in full-time private practice who has worked extensively with adolescents who sexually offend, and their families, since 1988. He also works with children and youth who have experienced sexual victimization and with children under 12 who have engaged in harming sexual behaviors. During this time, Dr. Worling has presented many workshops nationally and internationally, and he has written a number of professional articles and book chapters regarding the etiology, assessment, and treatment of adolescent sexual offending behaviors. Dr. Worling is a Fellow of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, and he serves on the editorial board for their journal, Sexual Abuse.

Closing Presenter - Dr. Michael Gillette

Dr. Michael Gillette is an ethics expert who has presented numerous keynotes and workshops nationally and internationally over the past two decades. Additionally, he contracts with dozens of healthcare organizations and other agencies to provide ethics case consultations and policy work. His energetic and interactive style engages his audiences and helps them think critically about ethical decisions in their work and beyond.

Dr. Gillette graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University, with majors in philosophy and classical Greek, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his master's and Ph.D. in philosophy at Brown University. He has taught at colleges and universities, published articles in the field of clinical ethics and has received several teaching awards. In 2004, he was elected to the City Council in Lynchburg, Virginia, and subsequently served two terms as Mayor of the City.

Gillian Chambers

Gillian Chambers is currently an Account Manager working for Track Group, Inc. The company provides integrated monitoring services like GPS, analytics software, alcohol monitoring and voice biometrics. Ms. Chambers supports the Virginia Department of Corrections in their use of GPS, analytics and voice biometrics. Ms. Chambers holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology and previously worked for VADOC. During her five and a half years there, she worked in Human Resources, became a Legal Research Technician, moved on to Policy and Initiatives and held a caseload at Chesterfield Detention and Diversion. Her final months with the agency were spent assisting with the roll out of the voice biometrics software VADOC currently uses today.

Stacey Lannert

Strong, hopeful and charismatic, Stacey Lannert doesn't just speak about overcoming childhood sexual abuse. She connects with her audience. Viewers feel her pain and, most importantly, her triumph. Stacey was recently released from prison where she served 18 years for fatally shooting the man who raped her from ages 8 through 18. That man was her father. Stacey never lost her ability to love life and learn from it even though she was sentenced to life without parole. The governor granted her clemency in 2009, and within 6 days, she walked out of the prison gates. Stacey had been granted her physical freedom; it was the ultimate act of forgiveness. Though locked up, Stacey was already emotionally free. Through the power of love and forgiveness, she created a meaningful life for herself from behind bars. She helped troubled teens find strength to tell their stories of abuse through a program called Outreach. She even helped two of them prosecute their abusers. Stacey also trained therapy dogs for handicapped people through the non-profit organization called C.H.A.M.P.S. While she was making the world a better place, she was also focused on forgiving. Filled with compassion, hope, humility, and even wit, Stacey's thought-provoking messages serve many purposes. Her topics of discussion include: How to spot sexual and emotional abuse and what to do about it; The importance of speaking up, telling the truth and never being ashamed of who you are; The power of hope, forgiveness and helping others; And the legal system that can still be antiquated in how it deals with sexual abuse and women. What can we do to improve our lives and help others? In May 2009, Stacey brought her message of strength, hopefulness and inspiration to 40 million people when she spoke for 30 minutes on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Stacey has also appeared on Nancy Grace, 20/20, Larry King Live, Montel Williams and many other programs. She has created a popular, active non-profit organization and website called HealingSisters.org with a message to help other victims however she can. Stacey can share her story. She doesn't believe that any of us are victims no matter what we've been through. As we work on ourselves and work to heal the world, we all become victors. Stacey graduated in the top third of her class at law school in May 2017 and will sit for the bar exam in September. She’s also been appointed by the Governor of Missouri to the state’s Justice Reinvestment Task Force, proving that a person always has the ability to overcome their past if they focus on the future. Looking ahead, Stacey plans to work with abused children and battered women who find themselves in need of legal assistance. “I want to help end sexual abuse in America by putting a voice to it, helping other women find their voice, talking about what happened to me, and making it okay for others to talk about what happened to them. . . . . Hopefully we can make a change.” Stacey Lannert on the Oprah Winfrey Show, May 2009 Her story has been featured on:

The Oprah Winfrey Show – May 2009
20/20 – April 2009
Nancy Grace on CNN – February 2009
Nancy Grace on CNN – April 2005
American Justice on A&E – July 2004
Larry King Live - September 2003
The Montel Williams Show - July 2002
The Montel Williams Show - May 2002
Marie Claire magazine (Australian edition) – November 2002
Glamour magazine – July 2002

David S. Prescott, LICSW

David Prescott is the Clinical Services Development Director for the Becket Family of Services. He also provides consultation to agencies around the world. Mr. Prescott has produced 17 book projects and numerous articles and chapters in the areas of assessing and treating sexual violence and trauma. His latest projects include books on Feedback-Informed Treatment, and Forensic Report Writing, and Trauma-Informed Care were published in 2017.

Mr. Prescott is a current Fellow and past president of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, the largest professional organization of its kind in the world. He is also the 2014 recipient of that organization’s Distinguished Contribution award, one of only a handful of recipients. Previously, he received the Bright Lights award from the National Adolescent Perpetration Network in 2007; he has since become a member of that organization’s Board of Elders. Mr. Prescott is a Senior Associate and Certified Trainer for the International Center for Clinical Excellence and a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers. He is also a Consultant, Supervisor, and Invited Trainer for the Romanian Association for Brief Therapies and Strength-Based Solution Focused Consultancy.

Mr. Prescott has lectured around the world, including most recently in Australia, Japan, Germany, Iceland, Poland, Romania, Norway, Namibia, Canada, and the U.K. He also serves on the editorial boards of three scholarly journals, Motivational Interviewing: Training, Research, Implementation, and Practice, the Journal of Sexual Aggression, and Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment. Mr. Prescott is also co-editor of the NEARI News, which is read by thousands of professionals each month.

Dr. Brian L. Meyer

Brian L. Meyer, Ph.D., LCP, is a Clinical Psychologist and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder/Substance Use Disorders Specialist at the H.H. McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. He obtained his A.B. from Harvard University and his Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a specialization in adolescents and families from Duke University. Dr. Meyer has worked in the child welfare and the child and adult mental health fields as a clinician, administrator, teacher, policy maker, program developer, expert witness, researcher, and trainer. He has been the Deputy Clinical Director of the New Mexico CYFD Protective Services Division, the Executive Director of the Albuquerque Child and Family Guidance Center, the Executive Director of the Virginia Treatment Center for Children, and the Interim Associate Chief of Mental Health Clinical Services and the Workplace Violence Prevention Coordinator at the McGuire VA Medical Center.

In his current roles, Dr. Meyer provides evidence-based treatments for Veterans who have problems with PTSD, substance abuse, depression, TBI, and other co-occurring conditions; works with Veterans and their families to address post-combat adaptations; supervises psychology trainees; and develops and conducts research on treatments for PTSD, substance abuse, and co-morbid conditions. Dr. Meyer is also a nationally-known speaker on a wide range of content areas including the treatment of trauma and co-morbid conditions, substance abuse, complex trauma, the effects of trauma and substance abuse on families, Veterans’ mental health, mindfulness meditation, secondary traumatization and self-care, and collaborative courts. He has been happily married to his wife Sharla for 31 years and has three adult children whom he adores.

Susan Barr

Susan Barr is a Senior Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Attorney General for Virginia. Susan has been in the Sexually Violent Predator Civil Commitment (“SVP”) Section since May 2010. Prior to joining the SVP Section, Susan was in the Office’s Correctional Litigation Section for 4 years where she represented the Virginia Department of Corrections.

Susan is a native of Richmond. She graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in International Studies. Thereafter, she graduated from the College of William & Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law in 1989. Susan began her legal career as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor, in Washington, D.C. She transferred to the Solicitor’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee in 1994 where she represented federal agencies in employment-related litigation until returning to Richmond in 2000.

Erin Whealton

Erin Dugan Whealton is an Assistant Attorney General working in the Sexually Violent Predator Civil Commitment Section of the Office of the Attorney General. She has worked in the SVPCC section since January 2009. She graduated from University of Virginia School of Law and was admitted to practice before the Virginia State Bar in 2001. She started her legal career as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney prosecuting crimes of domestic violence and sexual assault for approximately 7 years, first in the city of Hampton and then in the county of Gloucester.

During her tenure at the Office of the Attorney General, she has provided training on issues involving sexually violent predators to prosecutors, defense attorneys, sex offender treatment providers, probation officers, and victim witness advocates at conferences sponsored by the Virginia Association of Commonwealth Attorneys, the Virginia State Bar, the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the Virginia Department of Corrections, and the Virginia Network for Victims and Witnesses of Crime.

Brock R. Maust

Brock R. Maust is an Assistant Attorney General with the Sexual Violent Predator Civil Commitment Section in the Office of the Attorney General for Virginia and has been with the section since 2017. Prior to his current position, Brock was an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney from 2007 until 2017f or the City of Newport News where he was assigned to the Violent Crimes team.

Brock is a graduate of Old Dominion University (Go Monarchs!) and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. (Go Browns!) Brock is a former instructor at the Newport News Police Academy, was a member of the Sexual Assault Response Team, and has given many talks on issues such as domestic violence, stalking, and prosecuting serious and fatal automobile accidents and crash reconstruction.

2019 Presenters