MARALEE MCLEAN
BIO: Maralee Mclean is a child advocate, protective parent, domestic violence expert, professional speaker, and author of PROSECUTED BUT NOT SILENCED: Courtroom Reform for Sexually Abused Children. Maralee has written several articles for the ABA Child Law Journal, Women’s E-New and other publications on the problems of family courts not protecting abused children. Maralee is with Women’s Media Center (WMC), She SourceExpert, NPEIV (National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence) and is with RAINN speaker bureau, All American Speakers. She presents at conferences, law schools and is a spokesperson for protective mothers. EXPERTISE ON: In Prosecuted but Not Silenced: Courtroom Reform for Sexually Abused Children, Maralee McLean shares her legal journey to protect her daughter from her ex-husband’s alleged sexual abuse. She faced barriers at every turn and her ex-husband ultimately won custody. Her efforts to seek justice produced outcomes that would make many protective mothers question whether to travel her path. Changing the legal landscape motivated her to write her book. http://www.maraleemclean.com/ ------------------------------------------- LAURA MONK BIO: Laura Monk is a researcher-practitioner studying for a PhD in psychology at Coventry University. Her research is focused on addressing the needs of mothers who become separated from their children by training the professionals that respond to them. Laura is also a counselor and psychotherapists who works with survivors of domestic abuse and is a Women's Aid domestic violence prevention advocate. EXPERTISE ON: Mother-child separations often occur in a context of domestic and/or sexual violence and abuse (DSVA), particularly the non-physical kinds of abuse that involve coercive control. It is common for mother-child relationships to be targeted by abusers who utilizes grooming and alienating strategies involving ‘the use of children’ to cause psychological/emotional harm to mothers. Exploitation of institutions and manipulation of the children, professionals, friends and family are key tactics in such strategies. Mothers apart are frequently to be found at the intersection of the family courts, social services and women’s services, where a contradiction between violent men and men as fathers mean that mothers are blamed both for failing to protect children and for failing to encourage contact. https://mothersapartproject.com/ “ --------------------------------------------- EILLEN KING BIO: Eileen King has been an advocate for abuse survivors since 1995 when she began working with the American Coalition for Abuse Awareness which merged with the non-profit One Voice in 1997. One Voice/ACAA merged with Justice for Children in 2000. In 2012, Eileen became the founding director of Child Justice, Inc. Eileen is a passionate advocate on behalf of children who have been abused or neglected and/or have witnessed domestic violence, particularly in custody battles.Eileen has been at the forefront of addressing these problems in the courts, and has been creating change for these children through referrals to pro bono legal counsel to represent non-offending protective parents or guardians in District, Circuit or Appellate Court proceedings. Child Justice also offers court watch, emotional support for non-offending parents, Amicus Curiae Brief support in selected appeals, works with local and national media, and often provides testimony before State Legislatures. EXPERTISE ON: Eileen King is a children’s rights advocate with more than 20 years of experience fighting for abuse victims and survivors. Child Justice, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides legal services and advocacy for children’s rights. Child Justice seeks to ensure that courts protect children in cases of abuse and family violence. The organization was founded in April 2013 by Eileen King. Our national headquarters is located in Washington, DC and our legal services office is located in Baltimore, Maryland. http://child-justice.org/ ------------------------------------- BARRY GOLDSTEIN BIO: He was an attorney representing victims of domestic violence for 30 years. He now provides workshops, judicial and other trainings regarding domestic violence particularly related to custody issues. He also serves as a consultant and expert witness. EXPERTISE ON: Barry Goldstein is the co-author with Elizabeth Liu of Representing the Domestic Violence Survivor REPRESENTING THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVOR, co editor with Mo Therese Hannah of DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ABUSE and CHILD CUSTODY and author of SCARED TO LEAVE AFRAID TO STAY. He has been an instructor and supervisor in a NY Model Batterer Program since 1999. https://www.barrygoldstein.net |
ORGANIZATION: STOP ABUSE CAMPAIGN
"Mission: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Child Protective Services was established before we understood childhood trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), or how to prevent them. Keeping children alive, and stopping further abuse is a low bar. Now we know differently, but mostly we don’t do differently. Goal: The ACE study proves all child abuse is a matter of life and death. 1500 children die directly from abuse every year. Thousands more die from its consequences; suicide, violence and physical illness. Evidence based program investments and legislative changes protect children and save taxpayers money. http://stopabusecampaign.org/ ---------------------------------------- ORGANIZATION: DREAM CATCHERS FOR ABUSED CHILDREN Mission: Their mission is to educate the public on all aspects of child abuse such as symptoms, intervention, prevention, statistics reporting and helping victims locate the proper resources necessary to achieve a full recovery. Goal: is to lower child abuse statistics by educating the public on every aspect of child abuse through successful campaigns that provide educational materials and literature concerning child abuse and neglect, treatment for recovery, coping skills, family and peer support, prevention, communications skills and empowerment to families, victims and survivors. http://www.dreamcatchersforabusedchildren.com/ ----------------------------------------- DR. BONNIE GOLDSTEIN
BIO: The focus of Dr. Bonnie Goldstein’s work is to foster and heal relationships through the lens of attachment theory, somatic and mindful awareness, and the dynamic interaction of group psychotherapy. Goldstein holds dual licenses in the state of California in Psychology and Social Work, completed her B.A. MSW, and Ph.D. at UCLA, her Ed.M. at Harvard University, and teaches graduate students at USC’s School of Social Work. EXPERTISE ON: She helps clients navigate through life’s complexities by addressing developmental issues, family systems, grief and loss counseling for children and adults, and transitions-to-adulthood. Her work integrates traditional psychodynamic psychotherapy with progressive psychotherapeutic interventions such as Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, hypnosis, mindfulness exercises and EMDR.Dr. http://www.drbonniegoldstein.com/about-dr-goldstein/ -------------------------------------------- LISA FISCHEL-WOLOVICK, JD, MSW.
BIO: Ms. Wolovick has been a practicing attorney for over twenty-five years. Ms. Wolovick has extensive experience in litigating custody, visitation, child support, spousal support, and equitable distribution of the financial assets in divorce litigation to best protect her clients. Ms. Wolovick teaches courses in Family Violence and Child Maltreatment, at the City University of New York at John Jay College's Graduate Program in Forensic Psychology. EXPERTISE ON: Lisa Fischel-Wolovick, is the author of Traumatic Divorce and Separation: The Impact of Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse in Custody and Divorce, to be published by Oxford University Press in March 2018. http://wolovicklaw.com/bio.php ------------------------------------------- HERA MCLEOD BIO: In 2010, I met a psychopath. That psychopath presented a story about himself that was a complete lie – from his profession, to his family, to even his birth name. By the time I learned that he was the suspect in the murder of two people (his own mother Alma Collins and his ex-girlfriend Shawn Mason), it was too late. I had already given birth to our son Prince.Two weeks after Prince was born, I fled Rams’ house at gun point. I ran to the police for help, but trusting the Virginia police ended up being one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Instead of helping to keep my family safe, they helped my abuser. I fought to keep my son safe from Rams for 15 months. Finally, after a judge in MD granted Rams unsupervised visitation, Joaquin Rams murdered my son Prince. Two weeks after Prince was killed, I learned that Rams had taken out over 500k in life insurance policies on my child. EXPERTISE ON: Hera McLeod is a Seattle-based writer, speaker, and civil rights activist. She is known for speaking out against the silence, particularly on the topics of civil rights for women and children, domestic violence, and Family Court reform. https://hera-mcleod.com |