2021 Presenters

Matthew Sandusky, Founder and Executive Director of Peaceful Hearts Foundation, was a victim of childhood sexual abuse from the age of 8 to 17 at the hands of his adopted father, Jerry Sandusky. Matthew is working to turn his traumatic personal experience into a mechanism to prevent childhood sexual abuse and help other survivors heal.

Through his work with Peaceful Hearts, Matthew, raises awareness around child sexual abuse in local communities, supports the life-saving work of children's advocacy and sexual assault treatment centers, and advocates for legislative changes. Matthew works with researchers, clinicians, the media, politicians, social workers, and child protection professionals to raise awareness and improve the quality and availability of services to survivors nationwide.

In addition to his advocacy work, Matthew is committed to empowering and educating children to use their voices and help protect them against abuse. He is working with other advocates to implement an in-school curriculum to empower children to use their voices as a first line of defense, along with parents and teachers.

Matthew is also an accomplished author, chronicling his years of abuse in his memoir, Undaunted: Breaking my silence to overcome the trauma of child sexual abuse, which sheds light on the truth about abuse and the healing journey that a victim goes through to become a survivor.

As an internationally recognized spokesperson, on the topic of child sexual abuse, Matthew is asked regularly to comment on breaking news. He has done a one-on-one interview with Oprah Winfrey, been featured in two documentaries, Happy Valley and Invisible Scars, and is regularly published in major newspapers across the country.

Matthew attended Penn State University, studying Business. He, along with his wife and children, currently reside in State College, PA. Through his work with Peaceful Hearts Foundation, Matthew Sandusky has moved from victim to survivor of child sexual abuse.

Matthew will talk about two topics during this session:

WHEN MALES HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY VICTIMIZED AS CHILDREN

In this presentation Matthew discusses child sexual victimization of boys. He uses his personal story of victimization as a guide to discuss topics such as: why males find it difficult to report, myths about being abused as a boy, shame, how sexual victimization can affect adult relationships, and how therapy can aide in the recovery process. This presentation is great for any male who was sexually victimized as a child as well as any loved one of those survivors. AND

EXPLORING SEX OFFENDER GROOMING

This presentation is aimed at gaining a more complete understanding of grooming. The goal of this presentation is to have the audience establish a more complete understanding of the process and elements of victim and environmental grooming. Matthew uses his own personal story of sexual victimization by his adopted father to show the audience how these techniques are implemented.

Dr. David Delmonico is a Professor at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dr. Delmonico conducts research, consultation, and training on topics such Internet psychology, cybersex compulsivity, cyber-offense behavior, and digital health and safety among youth. Dr. Delmonico has co‑authored three books on these topics, the latest of which is titled Illegal Images. Dr. Delmonico presents nationally to treatment providers, probation/parole officers, attorneys, and various community groups on these topics. Dr. Delmonico is the Director of the Online Behavior Research and Education Center (OBREC) at Duquesne University.

This recently updated workshop will provide information on cutting edge technologies used to access sex online. Participants will be introduced to the most recent theories and typologies related to individuals convicted of child pornography crimes. Elements important to the assessment of individuals convicted of child pornography offenses, including specific risk tools, will be briefly discussed. The presenters will review the six treatment issues associated with child pornography offenders and provide creative, practical treatment ideas.  The foundation of this presentation will be based on the Risk / Needs / Responsivity model.

Elizabeth Griffin, MA is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over thirty-three years of experience treating individuals engaging in sexual offense behavior. She has worked in out-patient, in-patient, military, prison and civil commitment settings. Ms. Griffin is certified in the Penile Plethysmograph, the Abel Assessment for Sexual Interest, the Affinity Assessment of Sexual Interest and the LOOK. Ms. Griffin lectures nationally on the assessment and treatment of offline and online sexual offenders as well as those with sexually compulsive behavior. She has written numerous professional articles on these topics, and is co-author of several books and workbooks. She is co-owner of Internet Behavior Consulting.

Ted Lewis (who uses they/them pronouns) is the founder and owner of Ted Lewis Consulting where they provide training and technical assistance to schools, colleges, non-profits, corporations, and government agencies on inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. Ted has worked to uplift and support LGBTQ+ people and particularly LGBTQ+ youth for over a decade including serving as the Executive Director of Side by Side as well as work at UNC Charlotte, the University of Richmond, and the University of South Carolina. Ted is a Richmond resident and native of Virginia. 

Dr Kerry Beckley is Registered Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical and Forensic), Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (AFBPS) and past Chair of the Faculty of Forensic Clinical Psychology, BPS, UK. Kerry is an Accredited Schema Trainer/Supervisor in Individual and Group Schema Therapy. Whilst at Rampton High Secure Hospital, she developed the Schema Therapy Programme for men with a diagnosis of personality disorder. She was previously the Project Lead for the Personality Disorder Offender Pathway Project in Lincolnshire and was previously seconded part time to the Safer Communities Partnership in Lincolnshire to develop a strategy for supporting and treating perpetrators of domestic abuse. Kerry now runs her own company providing expert witness reports and training and supervision in both individual and group Schema Therapy. She has published and presented on Schema Therapy for many years, both nationally and internationally 

Treating the Trauma: Applications of Schema Therapy to offence focused interventions

This workshop will provide an overview of how Schema Therapy can be applied to individuals who have committed sexual and violent offences. The first part of the workshop will consider how offending behaviour can be understood in terms of schema modes, and how the function of sexual and violent acts links to the persons unmet needs. Participants will be encouraged to consider how this applies to their own clients, and to consider how both chairwork and imagery techniques can deepen our understanding of these functions. The workshop will expand upon how the schema model can be used to inform risk assessment and wider team working, including the common challenges for teams in 'holding in mind' their clients vulnerability and risk. 

Angela M. Morris is the Statewide Evidence Based Practices Manager for Central Region Community for the Virginia Department of Corrections. Her career with VADOC commenced in 2011, when she was hired as a Casework Counselor at Coffeewood Correctional Center, where she facilitated a psychoeducational sex offender program. She was subsequently hired as a Probation and Parole Officer with District 29 in Fairfax, where she served as Sex Offender Specialist. Angela later promoted to Senior Probation and Parole Officer in Fairfax. She was responsible for development and supervision of District 29’s High Risk Unit, designed to support risk-based supervision, and the Fairfax County Drug Court Program. Angela has previous employment experience as a Probation Counselor for the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. 

Angela currently serves as a statewide trainer and coach for COMPAS, EPICS II, COA, SOARING, SMS 101, and Basic Core Correctional Practices. She has served as a presenter for the EPICS Conference and Distinguished Panelist for the Fairfax County Bar Association’s presentation on Evidence Based Sentencing. Angela is a graduate of Radford University, where she received Bachelor of Science Degrees in Psychology and Criminal Justice.  She is currently enrolled in James Madison University's M.Ed. program in Educational Technology.

Research highlights the importance of effective case planning in community supervision.  This workshop will focus on how to develop effective case plans for the sex offender population.  We will review how traditional criminogenic needs can be integrated with the risk factors identified in the STABLE and ACUTE assessments to create dynamic case plans that promote lasting behavior change.  

This workshop is targeted for Probation Officers.

Senior Probation and Parole Officer, Heather K. Wimmer, began her career with the Department of Corrections in June 2006.  In 2007, she began working with the sex offender population.  SPO Wimmer currently supervises a sex offender caseload.  She also supervises the sex offender team in District 43, Tazewell.  SPO Wimmer is an EPICS trainer for the state, SMS for the district and Soaring coach.  SPO Wimmer has served on various committees and boards within the department that focus on best practices.  

Jaime Hoyle is the Executive Director for the Virginia Boards of Counseling, Psychology, and Social Work. Before moving to this role in 2015, she was appointed by Governor Terry McAuliffe as the Chief Deputy Director for the Virginia Department of Health Professions. 

A native of Alabama, Jaime moved to Boston and graduated from Boston College in 1997, and received her law degree from the University of Richmond, T.C. Williams School of Law in 2000. Always interested in policy and government, Jaime spent the majority of her career working as a staff attorney in the legislative branch of the Virginia General Assembly. She began her career at the Virginia State Crime Commission, where she focused on domestic violence issues and staffed the Sex Offender Task Force. Seeing the intersection between crime and mental health, peaked her interest in behavioral health care. When the opportunity arose, she then took a position as a senior staff attorney to the Virginia Joint Commission on Health Care, where she focused on behavioral healthcare and health workforce issues. She and her husband, Todd, reside in Midlothian, Virginia with their two children.

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John Salay, LCSW is the Chief Compliance Officer and Director of Advocacy, and Development for Family Insight, PC. Family insight is a community mental health agency serving ten localities in Virginia. John spends considerable time advocating to regulators and legislators on behalf of underserved populations and to help with the redesign process. 

John also taught direct social work practice at VCU.  John won the Overall Outstanding Field Instructor of the Year Award from VCU for his work with graduate interns and continues to be devoted to the development of professional social workers. 

John is immediate past Chair of the VA Board of Social Work and is the Chair of the Regulatory Committee. John is a member of the Board of Health Professions and serves on their regulatory committee. He also serves on the Board of the Virginia Association of Community Based Providers, the Board of the Virginia Association for HealthCare Quality, is the Co-Chair of the Social Work Advisory Council for Longwood College, and is active in the Greater Richmond Trauma Informed Community Network (GRTICN). 

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Dr. Yancey received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Regent University, graduated from Liberty University with a Masters degree in Professional Counseling, and received her Ph.D., from Old Dominion University in Counselor Education and Supervision. 

Currently she is an Assistant Adjunct Professor at Old Dominion University teaching undergraduate human services courses and master level counseling courses. She has her own private practice From the Desk of Dr. Yancey, which provides LPC supervision, tutoring to pass the NCMHCE, tele-mental health psychotherapy specializing in general mental health issues, marriage and family issues, parent-child relational issues, autism, trauma informed care, depression, anxiety/relaxation, interpersonal relationship issues, personality disorders, grief and loss issues. In addition, she sits on the Virginia Board of Counseling for the state of Virginia. Dr. Yancey has spent 24 years in the field of mental health working with various populations. 

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J.D. Ball