Genesis The Podcast Genesis Women's Shelter

Have you ever felt silenced? This is how many survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault feel as they traverse the criminal justice system. With Kelsey McKay, founder of Respond Against Violence and former prosecutor, we delve into the power of allocutions and how they can transform the narrative of survivors of violent crime, giving them a powerful platform to share their truth.

We navigate the labyrinth of the criminal legal system, peeling away layers to understand its complexities. Kelsey, with her rich experience and vast knowledge, guides us through this journey, talking about the importance of victim impact statements and allocutions in ensuring justice. By shifting the focus to the survivor, we explore how language can be wielded to realign the narrative around the victim, creating a more empowered and inclusive framework.

Our conversation also touches upon the role of programs like the Uncooperative website and Do No Harm campaign in uplifting survivor's voices, and how allocutions can be used to advocate for social justice.  This is more than just a conversation; it’s a call to action, an invitation to change the narrative and empower survivors of violence. 

Ever wonder how domestic violence affects the emotional bonds crucial to our relationships? Join us as we broach this vital topic with Ruth Guerreiro, Chief Clinical Officer of Genesis Women's Shelter and Support. Together, we'll uncover the influence of domestic violence on the four types of attachment styles - secure, avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized. Hear as Ruth unravels the devious tactics often employed by abusive partners to disrupt a mother's ability to form a secure attachment with her child.

Our conversation takes us into the world of abusive fathers and the harmful tactics they employ that have a potential to leave lasting scars on their children. We shed light on the damaging messages of disrespect, inequality, and aggression these fathers subtly communicate to their children, while also undermining the mother's ability to parent effectively. This exploration promises to broaden your understanding of the psychological warfare often deployed by men in domestic violence situations.

To culminate, we emphasize the power of therapy in mending the mother-child bond post-trauma and reveal the integral role that bilingual services at Genesis Women's Shelter play in supporting families impacted by domestic violence. Learn how therapies like EMDR and play therapy, bolstered by effective praise, physical proximity, and positive physical touch, can boost a child's confidence and foster a sense of secure attachment. This episode isn't simply an intellectual exercise, it's a journey into the human psyche and the resilience of the mother-child bond in the face of adversity.

What happens when we confront the complex aftermath of violence from domestic abuse, incest or sexual assault? We address this question with Dr. Judith Herman, a notable figure in the field of trauma studies. She opens the conversation revealing her early encounters with survivors from the 1970s and how her team developed a unique approach of gathering stories and writing books to help survivors reclaim their voices. 

Venturing deeper into the labyrinth of trauma, we sift through the profound consequences of childhood abuse on mental and physical health, with a special emphasis on Dr. Herman's breakthrough work, "Trauma and Recovery". The discussion evolves as she introduces the four stages of recovery from trauma and her latest book, "Truth and Repair: How Trauma Survivors Envision Justice", offering valuable insights into safety, remembrance and mourning, and the power of envisioning an equitable future for trauma survivors.

Closing the conversation, we step beyond the legal system and explore the need for community validation for survivors of gender-based violence. We navigate the 'tripod approach' by Professor Diane Rosenfeld, Northwestern's peer educator program, and the societal pressure encapsulated in the 'Man Box'. This episode wraps up with a powerful discussion on forgiveness, rehabilitation, and the critical role of supporting survivors.

According to Linda Thai, "the role of therapy is to help you to get to know yourself and to experience a sense of dignity." Our conversation dives into therapeutic solutions that are trauma sensitive, trauma informed, and trauma driven as we explore the root causes of trauma, empowerment through somatic strategies and "me-search". Linda also guides us through a brief yet grounding orienting exercise at the end of the conversation that can be practiced anywhere and anytime.
Linda Thai describes herself as a somatic therapist and trauma therapist, free-lance educator, public speaker and storyteller, group facilitator, collaborator, infiltrator, cross-pollinator, community-builder, agent of change, former child refugee, happy human being. her expertise includes the fields of meditation, yoga, and self-enquiry, addictions and behavioral health, childhood adversity and resiliency, colonization, intergenerational refugee trauma and social justice, grief, loss and reclamation. More about Linda Thai-
INSPIRATION: For the purpose of empowered self-awareness. To liberate the joy and peace at the essence of our beings. To ignite a passion and excitement for life, to connect us back to ourselves and to each other.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Linda would like to acknowledge that she lives and works on the unceded lands of the Dené Athabascan people of the Middle Tanana Valley. She has been nourished by the healing forces of the Alaskan wilderness and exposed to the ancestral wisdom of the custodians of these lands. Shifting out of an extractive economic and philosophical relationship with the natural world has opened her up to living and operating in mutuality with all forms of life, including herself. Quyana, Tsenaa-‘ii, Gunalchéesh, Dog in dihn’, Háw’aa, DOIKshin, Ana masee’, Masi-cho, Anna-Basse.

Kristin Daley, a communications/development strategist specializing in sexual violence, survivor-centric crisis response, and justice system reform, and Kenny Smith, law enforcement training director and retired law enforcement professional, join the conversation to explore the language we use to discuss sexual violence and how that discourse can help or hurt individuals who experience sexual violence. Together we review the terms sexual assault, rape, survivor, victim, alleged and more to understand how these terms are used and to establish some best practices for talking about crimes of sexual violence. 
Kristin Daley is the Executive Director of New Blue, a nationwide police reform incubator changing police culture through policies and practices that prioritize empathy and equity. Previously, Ms. Daley spent 16 years as Director of Development & Communications for Law Enforcement Action Partnership, police experts advocating for evidence-based reform; she now serves on LEAP’s Board of Directors. A nationally credentialed victim advocate, Ms. Daley is a longtime crisis response counselor and liaison for RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline. She also consults privately on trauma-informed best practices and communications strategy with organizations and individual survivors challenging the justice system. In 2022, Ms. Daley was appointed to the Peace Corps Sexual Assault Advisory Council, a panel of national subject matter experts in the field of sexual violence prevention and response. She is Chair of the 2023 Council. 

Kenny Smith has served in several law enforcement capacities for 21 years, as a Corrections Officer, Patrolman, Patrol Supervisor, Detective, and Jail Administrator, before retiring in 2018. Mr. Smith is a certified Crime Scene Technician and a Professional Law Enforcement Instructor and served on the Board of Directors for the Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault before coming to work for ACASA full-time. He began his work with ACASA in 2018 as the Law Enforcement Training Director and the state Council on Sexual Assault Response (CoSAR) Program Director. Through his work, he travels to law enforcement agencies across the state, providing free CLEST-certified training to officers on how to best respond to and investigate sexual assault cases in a victim-centered and trauma-informed manner. In addition, he also travels the state developing and overseeing CoSAR programs.

The Georgia Commission on Family Violence (GCFV) conducts qualitative and quantitative research on domestic violence-related fatalities to prevent, intervene, and respond to family violence. In this episode, we explore the GCFV's data behind domestic violence-related murder-suicides as well as new interventions aimed to reduce and eliminate family violence such as the "FLAG" program (Firearm Lethality Alert Georgia) and "Restorative Retelling." GCFV experts Carolynn Brooks, Family Violence Fatality Review Project Coordinator and Kylee Elliott, Support for Survivors of Murder-Suicide Project Coordinator, join the conversation. This episode was recorded on location at the 2023 CCAW and discusses murder-suicide and other forms of violence.