Workshop Summary:  This workshop offers a profound and impactful exploration of the challenges and pathways to recovery for victims of rape trauma. Through sharing Debbie Smith's own harrowing experience of abduction, robbery, and sexual assault and her subsequent journey towards becoming a formidable advocate for victims' rights, attendees are provided with a unique and personal perspective on the realities of sexual violence. Rob Smith brings his extensive background in law enforcement and his insights as a secondary victim to enhance the understanding of the police response to sexual assault and the importance of supportive practices for victims. Dawn White brings a clinical lens and understanding when it comes to helping clinicians and their clients who have experienced such trauma. This workshop not only narrates Debbie's stories but also looks at practical and effective ways to support victims of rape trauma, making it an essential learning opportunity for professionals from all walks of life.

Learning Objectives:  Participants will…
1) Participants will be able to identify and discuss the immediate and long-term psychological effects of sexual assault on victims, exploring the complexities of trauma and the process of healing.

2) Participants will be able to identify and discuss the legislative and social advocacy efforts led by Debbie Smith and the importance of such work in creating a supportive environment for victims.

3) Participants will be able to identify and discuss the concept of secondary victimization, including how family members and close associates of victims can be affected by the trauma and how to build effective support networks for both primary and secondary victims.

4) Participants will be able to identify and discuss strategies to foster resilience and empowerment among victims of sexual assault, encouraging their journey toward healing and their active participation in advocating for change.

Speaker Bio:  

Debbie Smith is a mother of two grown children, with seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild, and has been married to Rob for over 52 years. She was a stay-at-home mom in 1989 when a masked intruder entered her home, abducted, robbed, and repeatedly raped her in the woods behind her home in Williamsburg, Va. For six and a half years this crime went unsolved until DNA make a cold hit on a repeat offender who was serving time for other crimes. Since the end of a lengthy and drawn out trial, Debbie has become a crusader intent on helping other victims and trying to prevent others from becoming victims. She has appeared on several TV shows including 60 minutes, Oprah, John Walsh, Jane Pauley, etc. She has been interviewed in numerous national magazines and newspapers. Federal law with Debbie’s name attached(the Justice For All Act of 2004) passed and was signed by President G. W. Bush, which will provide funding to eliminate the backlog of untested rape kits, to train first responders such as police, EMTs and nurses and it will standardize rape kits nationwide. This five year law was passed again for an additional five years as the Debbie Smith Act in 2008, 2013 and 2018. Debbie speaks at conferences all over the U.S. and the world in an effort to help others. She is the founder and CEO of H-E-A-R-T, Inc., a non-profit foundation established to aid victims of sexual assault.

Rob Smith retired from the Williamsburg Police Department as a Lt. Detective with more than 25 years of service. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from St. Leo’s University with a BA in Criminal Justice. He retired in order to help Debbie with H-E-A-R-T and serves as president/treasurer for the foundation. Together with Debbie he speaks at conferences bringing his police experience together with his experience as a secondary victim and the husband of a rape survivor. His primary focus is in training first responders how to better understand the mindset of a victim of sexual assault. He has served on the board of directors for the local Williamsburg area battered women’s shelter, AVALON, currently for the local SANE program, and on the Colonial Area Taskforce on Domestic and Sexual Assault.

Both Debbie and Rob are past members of the IACP(International Association of Chiefs of Police) and OVC (Office of Victims of Crime) national advisory committee for establishing a new victim’s service model for law enforcement. They were both members of the board for NREP (National Rape Evidence Program) which raised funds to help with the cost of testing rape kits until the federal grant program started. They were part of the advisory board that established the Virginia Victim/Witness Academy. Debbie was appointed by one governor of Virginia(Kane) to the Criminal Sentencing Commission, by the next governor (McDonnell) to the Virginia Criminal Justice Services Board and most recently by Governor McCaulliffe to the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board. To date they have presented in 34 different states, Canada, Croatia, South Africa, Brazil and Australia.

Dawn White, an LPC and EMDR certified therapist, also holds roles as an EMDRIA Consultant in training and a Clinical Supervisor licensed by the Virginia Board of Counseling. Employed at Turning Point Counseling and Consulting, she employs a solution-focused, person-centered approach enhanced by mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral strategies. Dawn specializes in supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, fellow therapists, and adults navigating trauma, depression, anxiety, marital conflicts, stress, life transitions, career changes, and parenting concerns. Outside of work, she treasures time with her wife, teenage twins, and their three dogs and two cats.