Community CSEC Trauma Training

Join us for three transformative days of learning and growth.

Courage Worldwide is honored to host a three-day community training in Reno, Nevada featuring internationally recognized trauma experts Dr. Vanessa Snyder and Dr. Jeanne Allert. This event is designed to provide professionals, community members, and advocates with a deeper understanding of sex trafficking, emotional and physical health impacts, the science of trauma, and pathways toward healing and resilience.

Whether you're a healthcare provider, educator, first responder, or community advocate, these sessions will equip you with practical tools, trauma-informed insights, and a broader understanding of how to effectively support survivors and vulnerable populations.

📅 Dates & Times:

October 22–24, 2025

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM each day

💲 Cost: $50 per person

Your ticket includes access to all three days of training. Come for every session or attend those most relevant to you—flexibility is built in.

☕ Hospitality: 

Coffee, tea, and water will be available throughout the day, with fresh cookies provided each afternoon. An extended 90-minute lunch break will allow you to enjoy nearby restaurants or connect with fellow attendees.

🎟 Register Today to Reserve Your Spot!

(Limited seating available)

👉 Register Now!

Important Note for Volunteers

If you are interested in volunteering with Courage Worldwide in any in-person capacity, attendance at this training is required. By participating, you will gain the trauma-informed foundation necessary to engage with survivors in ways that are safe, supportive, and healing-centered.

If you are unable to attend this October training, please don't worry—we host larger trauma-based trainings approximately 3-4 times per year. These are the points at which we welcome and onboard new groups of volunteers, as these significant trainings are requirements for all volunteers. Attending this event is a wonderful opportunity to get started now, but if the dates don't work for you, know that another training opportunity will be available in the coming months.

If you're eager to get involved, this training is the best way to begin your volunteer journey right away. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to learn from Dr. Vanessa Snyder and join the community of new volunteers preparing to serve alongside us.

About Dr. Vanessa Snyder

Dr. Vanessa Snyder is a licensed professional counselor, marriage and family therapist, and recognized leader in the field of trauma care. With decades of experience in working with survivors of sexual exploitation, trafficking, and complex trauma, she brings both professional expertise and compassionate perspective to her trainings.

Her teaching blends clinical knowledge with practical strategies that help both professionals and everyday community members understand trauma and its lasting effects—while also offering tools to promote healing.

🔗 Learn more about Dr. Snyder’s work at Resilience Source.

About Dr. Jeanne Allert

Dr. Jeanne Allert has been in the anti-trafficking/victim services field for nearly two decades. She founded one of the first long-term restorative care programs for minor and adult survivors. After 13 years, she created the Institute for Survivor Care, a national think tank, research, and tools organization that seeks to equip service providers to care for survivors with excellence.

🔗 Learn more about Dr. Allert's work at Institute for Survivor Care.

About Liz Gray

Liz is passionate about helping familial trafficking survivor—who often feel unseen—live life beyond the trauma they experienced. She does this by facilitating a weekly support group for familial survivors and for curriculum-based groups (like Ending the Game). She has served as a national trainer with Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) as well as other national non-profit anti-trafficking organizations. Liz also worked directly with minor victims at Courage House Nor Cal as a peer mentor and education manager. In her spare time, Liz is pursuing a masters in social work.

About Melissa Herrmann

Melissa Herrmann, Founder of Emerge Counseling & Consulting, has spent over 25 years focused on working directly with children-at-risk and vulnerable women across the globe. Her efforts have entailed establishing and directing numerous children's homes and residential facilities, developing community-based programs, training thousands of professionals and organizations around the world, and providing lay pastoral counseling and psycho-education. Her program models have been recognized by multiple governments, which led her to assist the government of Rwanda in nationalized orphan-care policy reform. Her work was in collaboration with organizations such as UN, USAID, and World Vision.

Melissa has sat on numerous counsels, collaborative groups, and NGO board of directors seeking to provide insight into policy reform and program development for traumatized populations. Her efforts have spanned Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and the South Pacific. She has additionally been a foster and adoptive mother. Melissa has her MA in Human Services and Counseling from Regent University (2017) and her BA in Sociology from Vanguard University (2003). She is also an ordained minister (2006). In 2010, Melissa was the recipient of the American Red Cross Hero Award.

🔗 Learn more about Melissa's work at Emerge Counseling & Consulting.

About Jessica Contreras

Jessica Contreras is an undergraduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno, studying Social Work. As a survivor of sexual exploitation, she carries not only her own story but also the stories of countless young people who are still fighting to be free, safe, and heard. Her dream is to one day serve as an LMFT, helping survivors and families find healing and wholeness. Jessica is passionate about turning her pain into purpose by using her lived experience to educate others, break cycles of silence, and create spaces where young survivors know they are not alone. Every step she takes forward is a step toward a future where survivors will not only survive, but thrive, just as she is.

Why Attend?

• Gain critical insights into trauma and its impact on individuals and communities.

• Understand how sex trafficking intersects with mental health, physical health, and family systems.

• Learn evidence-based approaches to supporting survivors and building resilience.

• Network with others in the fight against trafficking and trauma in our community.

✨ Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, grow, and become part of a trauma-informed movement to bring healing and hope.