Conference 2022

It’s time we talked: Porn, young people and prevention of violence

Readily available and aggressively marketed online, exposure to hardcore pornography is now mainstream. Porn has become a default sex educator for many young people, with serious implications for their capacity to negotiate free and full consent, for mutual respect, sexual health, and gender equality. Young people need support to navigate respectful, consenting, and safe sexuality and relationships in this new reality. Yet many of the adults in their lives are unaware of the issues or feel ill-equipped to respond. Learn about pornography’s impacts on young people and what we can do to address them. You can watch her video here.

Maree Crabbe is the co-founder and Director of the Australian violence prevention project, ‘It’s time we talked’ (formerly Reality & Risk: Pornography, young people, and sexuality), Maree has worked with young people for over 25 years on issues affecting them. During this time, she developed and delivered programs focusing on sexual violence prevention, sexual diversity, pornography, sexting, and the prevention of sexually transmissible infections.

Maree presents about pornography, its impact on young people, and what we can do about it, at conferences, professional learning workshops and parent events in Australia and around the world.
Maree has been interviewed for radio and television, and published articles on young people, sexuality, and pornography in online print and media.

Reducing The Harm: Talking About Children and Pornography 

The internet and portable electronic devices has transformed the way pornography is accessed and how pornography accesses children. Whilst pornography is not new, the nature and accessibility of pornography has changed considerably. Children are growing up in a world where it’s impossible to avoid sexualised media and pornography. It’s not a matter of ‘if’ a child will see pornography but ‘when’ and the when is getting younger and younger. It’s never too early to begin proactive and protective conversation and education. Participants will leave this session with research and evidence based up-to-date information, conversation starters, practical strategies and resource recommendations. You can watch her video here.

Kayelene Kerr is recognised as one of Western Australia’s most experienced specialist providers of Protective Behaviours, Body Safety, Cyber Safety, Digital Wellness and Pornography education workshops. Kayelene has featured on Australian and international television broadcasts, radio programs and in print media. Kayelene is passionate about the prevention of child abuse, sexual exploitation, and sexual violence, drawing on over 24 years’ experience of study and law enforcement, investigating sexual crimes, including technology facilitated crimes. Kayelene believes protecting children from harm is a shared responsibility and she aims to support and inspire the trusted adults in children’s lives to talk about challenging topics.

Kayelene has presented to international audiences and has delivered keynote addresses and workshops at Education, Child Protection, Health, Law Enforcement and Community Service conferences. Kayelene has also presented to many primary and secondary school students, government and non-government departments and service providers. Kayelene is one of the Telethon Kids Institute’s trusted Cyber Safety experts and is currently
working with the institute on a number of ongoing projects.

Building Safer Communities

Dr Carolyn Johnson has 40 years’ experience as a social worker delivering clinical service to clients, managing, and supervising professional staff, individually and in groups, teaching, developing curricula, researching, writing, and advocating for social change. She co-authored the “Columbus Program,” introducing differential case management for cases involving child abuse and Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) in the Family Court of Western Australia. Carolyn works with schools to “Build Safer Communities” a program she has developed for the wider school community to address a range of social problems including FDV, bullying, and mental health. Watch her video here.

Dr Carolyn Johnson has 40 years’ experience as a social worker delivering clinical service to clients, managing, and supervising professional staff, individually and in groups, teaching, developing curricula, researching, writing, and advocating for social change. She co-authored the “Columbus Program,” introducing differential case management for cases involving child abuse and FDV in the Family Court of Western Australia.
Dr Johnson’s research on familicide published, in “Come with Daddy: Child murder-suicide following family breakdown,” has made a major contribution to understanding this offence.

Currently, in addition to lecturing part time at the University of Western Australia, Carolyn is involved in an interagency partnership in the Shire of Gingin, delivering a community awareness raising program, on the links between Family and Domestic Violence, Substance Misuse, Mental Health, and the Intergenerational Transmission of Complex Trauma.

Carolyn continues to contribute to social policy as a member of the State Ombudsman’s Advisory Panel on Domestic Homicide and Child Death.

Building Respect: engaging men and boys in change for gender justice

There are growing efforts in Australia and around the world to involve men and boys in moving away from rigid and harmful masculinities and to engage them in building gender justice. What works in engaging men and boys? How can we inspire their participation and their involvement in change? Hear insights about engaging men and boys, explore how to address dilemmas and difficulties, and learn about effective practice. You can watch his video here.

Dr Michael Flood is Professor in Sociology at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia. He is an internationally recognised researcher on men, masculinities, and violence prevention. Dr Flood is the author of Engaging Men and Boys in Violence Prevention (2018) and the lead editor of Engaging Men in Building Gender Equality (2015) and The International Encyclopedia of Men and Masculinities (2007). He has contributed to social change campaigns, worked with organizations such as VicHealth, the Australian Football League (AFL), and the Australian Defence Force (ADF), participated in international expert meetings, and shaped national prevention frameworks.

Michael has provided expert advice to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Human Rights Commission, White Ribbon Australia, Our Watch, and other organisations. He has contributed to agenda-setting frameworks for violence prevention, including Preventing Violence Before It Occurs (2007), Respectful Relationships Education (2009), National Standards for the Primary Prevention of Sexual Assault through Education (2009), and Change the Story: A shared framework for the primary prevention of violence against women and their children (2015). Michael has had a life-long involvement in advocacy in support of feminism and social justice.

Building Better Brains: Understanding the impact of trauma and stress on self-regulation

Dr Shanker’s five-step Self-Reg model – The Shanker Method TM – is a powerful process for understanding and managing stress in children, youth, and adults. This presentation will introduce The Shanker Method and the five domains of self-regulation and highlight the impact of trauma on the brain and nervous system. You can watch her video here.

Louise Lamont has held senior positions in the community services sector and with State and Federal Government in the fields of family and domestic violence (FDV), child sexual abuse, sexual assault, and family law. Louise is an experienced trainer delivering to allied professionals, and the Judiciary. Louise was a key advisor for the ‘Freedom From Fear’ mass media community education campaign. While working in Canberra, Louise supported the development of Family Relationship Centres, and national social justice networks. Louise has authored publications related to FDV screening and assessment, collaborative partnerships, and best practice for working with FDV.

Louise is currently CEO of Phoenix, and her background includes earlier work as a clinician, counselling survivors experiencing complex trauma, along with perpetrators of domestic violence. Louise set up a clinical supervision and professional development program for 300 staff across 11 metropolitan and regional sites. She was a founding member and Convenor of the Domestic Violence Action Groups of WA a peak body that successfully advocated for social justice and policy reform, collaborative practice, community education, and the funding of FDV counselling support services, helplines, and men’s behaviour change programs. Louise has been a member of State and National committees addressing social justice challenges with recent appointments to the Advisory Group for the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse and the Reference Group for the WA Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Strategy and is a longstanding member of the WACOSS Children’s Policy Advisory Council.

Louise has completed a Masters’ degree, and a range of post grad studies including an accreditation process in the Shanker Method™ of Self-Regulation with Canadian neuroscientist Dr Stuart Shanker. The Shanker Method™ became the foundational influence and underpinning of the Trauma Transformation program developed for Phoenix.

A conversation with a neuroscientist (pre-recorded interview) 

Dr Stuart Shanker is Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Psychology, internationally celebrated speaker, thinker, and writer. Dr Shanker is one of the world’s leading authorities on self-regulation. Stuart trained intensively in child psychotherapy under Stanley Greenspan; he was the Director of the Milton and Ethel Harris Research Initiative at York University; President of the Canadian Council of Early Child Development; Director of the Council of Human Development; and has served for many years as an advisor to Government and education organisations across Canada and internationally.

Throughout his career, Stuart has researched and studied the role of self-regulation in mental and physical wellbeing and academic achievement. He has focused on the beneficial role that positive stress plays in children’s development and learning, and the worrying effects of excessive negative stress. Dr Shanker’s five-step Self-Reg model – The Shanker Method TM – is a powerful process for understanding and managing stress in children, youth, and adults.

Stuart founded the Self-Regulation Institute, where he currently serves as Science Director to continue his research into self-regulation. Stuart went to Oxford University in 1975 to study the philosophy of mathematics, but by the time he left in 1986 his main interests were early childhood brain development and learning. Learn more about Stuart Shanker here.

Surprise self-care presentation

Coby Greer has 25 years of experience in human services. She is a counsellor (Ma. Counselling), clinical supervisor, psycho-educational trainer, certified yoga teacher, a Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga facilitator and is currently studying a post-graduate diploma in Family and Relationship Therapy. Coby believes that wellness and wellbeing are a right for all and is passionate about supporting people in their healing through the self-transformative practices of evidence-based psychological therapies; trauma-informed somatic modalities and complementary therapy.

Coby Greer (she/her) has 25 years of experience in human services. She is a counsellor (Ma. Counselling), clinical supervisor, psycho-educational trainer, certified yoga teacher, a Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga facilitator (320-hour) and has completed a post-graduate diploma in Family and Relationship Therapy.

Coby believes that wellness and wellbeing are a right for all and is passionate about supporting people in their healing through the self-transformative practices of evidence-based psychological therapies; trauma-informed somatic modalities and complementary therapy. Coby has a deep interest in supporting people in building an intimate relationship between their physical body and their psychological wellbeing to help facilitate positive behaviour change.

Coby’s person-centered, strength-based, and trauma-informed approach draws on the notion of supporting the client emotionally, cognitively, and physically so that with time, the client has choices, skills, and strategies to become empowered in their own healing process.