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Human Trafficking & Sextortion: The Evolving Playbook & Why Proactive Response Matters

Sunday, June 28th, 2026   1:45 PM EDT -4:45 PM EDT
Laura Cusack
$59.99 USD

 

Human trafficking and sextortion represent two of the most pervasive and rapidly evolving threats facing young people and vulnerable populations today. While distinct in their mechanics—trafficking involves the exploitation of a person for labor or commercial sex through force, fraud, or coercion, while sextortion uses threats to distribute intimate images to extort money, additional images, or sexual acts—both crimes share common threads: they exploit vulnerability, they thrive on secrecy and shame, and they demand that mental health professionals be equipped to recognize, respond to, and prevent them. The intersection of these threats is increasingly visible as online exploitation blurs the boundaries between trafficking recruitment and sextortion operations, with organized criminal networks now running industrial-scale schemes that can drive a teenager from first contact to suicidal crisis in under 30 minutes.

 

This three-hour workshop provides mental health professionals with a comprehensive, evidence-based understanding of both human trafficking and sextortion. This presentation covers human trafficking fundamentals: federal definitions under the TVPA, common myths, types of trafficking, vulnerability factors, grooming tactics, and indicators for both sex and labor trafficking. It also includes sextortion and online exploitation: how perpetrators operate using scripted grooming and AI deepfakes, the role of pornography in normalizing exploitation, real case studies with documented timelines from first contact to tragedy, and the devastating psychological impact on victims. This presentation leaves participants with practical response tools—what to say, what NOT to say, mandatory reporting obligations, evidence preservation, prevention strategies for families and communities, and a detailed walkthrough of key resources. 

About the Presenter

Laura Cusack, MSW, is a clinically trained advocate, educator, and subject matter expert in human trafficking, crime victimization, and trauma-informed care. With over a decade of direct practice and program leadership, she has delivered more than 400 hours of training to over 15,000 professionals and community members, including clinicians, behavioral analysts, social workers, and crime victim practitioners. Laura serves as Director of Programs for her local human trafficking coalition, where she develops specialized curricula for medical and behavioral health professionals, middle and high school students, school staff, parents, and hospitality professionals. She launched the organization's [kNOw MORE] Resource Library and its Survivor Support Fund, and consults for her local Human Trafficking Task Force. Previously, as Senior Victim Advocate at a Center for Independent Living, she supervised advocates serving crime victims with disabilities and trained statewide on the intersection of disability and trafficking victimization as a designated trainer for the Florida Crime Prevention Training Institute. Laura is a sought-after presenter at clinical and behavioral health conferences, including the Association for Behavior Analysis International Annual Convention, PSCP: The Psychology Network, and the CEYOU Conference (2022–2026). She has also developed and delivered seven national trainings for YouthBuild USA and the U.S. Department of Labor, and has supervised more than 70 bachelor's- and master's-level social work interns from five universities as a Florida-credentialed Field Supervisor. Laura has extensive experience facilitating human trafficking prevention and processing groups with youth in diverse settings, utilizing evidence-informed curricula such as My Life My Choice and iEmpathize. She completed post-graduate certificates in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Child Welfare at Florida Atlantic University, where she also earned her Master of Social Work. In 2022, she was named Palm Beach County's Victim Advocate of the Year.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Define human trafficking under federal law (TVPA) and differentiate between sex trafficking, labor trafficking, sextortion, and online exploitation.
  2. Recognize vulnerability factors, grooming tactics, and recruitment methods used by both traffickers and online exploiters.
  3. Develop practical and prevention-oriented response strategies.

Agenda:

0:00–0:08

Welcome & Orientation

Class Segment

0:08–0:10

Part 1: HT Fundamentals Divider + Opening Video

Class + Video

0:10–0:30

Myths of Human Trafficking (10 Myth/Fact Slides)

Activity + Class

0:30–0:42

Federal Law, Trafficking Definitions & How Victims Are Trafficked

Class Segment

0:42–0:52

Case Discussions: Bri, Cassie, Brandon

Activity + Discussion

0:52–1:00

Labor Trafficking

Class + Video

1:00–1:16

Vulnerability Factors, Grooming & Recruitment, Indicators & Reporting

Class Segment

1:16–1:18

Part 2: Sextortion Section Divider + Digital Natives

Transition + Class

1:18–1:28

Cultural Influences + Interactive: “Can You Spot the Hidden Dangers?”

Class + Activity

1:28–1:38

Definitions, Key Differences, Scale of the Crisis

Class + Discussion

1:38–1:50

The Exploiters & 3-Phase Sextortion Playbook

Class Segment

1:50–2:00

AI/Deepfakes + Pornography + Break Transition

Class + Discussion

2:00–2:10

BREAK (10 minutes)

—

2:10–2:25

Case Studies: Jordan DeMay, Gavin Guffey, James Woods, Braden Markus

Class Segment

2:25–2:33

Interactive: Pause & Reflect

Activity

2:33–2:48

Platform Dynamics, Demographics, Psychological Impact, Red Flags

Class Segment

2:48–2:59

Interactive: “What Would You Do?” Scenario

Activity

2:59–3:18

Response & Prevention

Class Segment

3:18–3:26

Interactive: Action Planning

Activity

3:26–3:42

Resource Toolkit Walkthrough (13 slides)

Class Segment

3:42–3:50

Bibliography, Q&A, and Closing

Class + Discussion

This workshop offers 3 Live Interactive Continuing Education Credits

This presentation is open to:
  • Social Workers
  • Professional Counselors
  • Therapists
  • Psychologists
  • Licensed Mental Health Practitioners
  • Medical Doctors and Other Health Professionals
  • Other professionals interacting with populations engaged in mental health based services
Course Level: introductory
Level of Clinician: beginner
  • New practitioners who wish to gain enhanced insight surrounding the topic
  • Experienced practitioners who seek to increase and expand fundamental knowledge surrounding the subject matter
  • Advanced practitioners seeking to review concepts and reinforce practice skills and/or access additional consultation
  • Managers seeking to broaden micro and/or macro perspectives

Participants will receive their certificate electronically upon completion of the webinar and course evaluation form.

Disability Access - If you require ADA accommodations, please contact our office 30 days or more before the event. We cannot ensure accommodations without adequate prior notification. Please Note: Licensing Boards change regulations often, and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling. The grievance policy for trainings provided by NEFESH INTERNATIONAL is available here Satisfactory Completion Participants must have paid the tuition fee, logged in and out each day, attended the entire workshop, and completed an evaluation to receive a certificate (If this is a pre-recorded program, a post-test with a passing grade of 80% to receive a certificate.) Failure to log in or out will result in forfeiture of credit for the entire course. No exceptions will be made. Partial credit is not available. Certificates are available after satisfactory course completion by clicking here.
There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this program.
  • CE You! is an approved sponsor of the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners for continuing education credits for licensed social workers in Maryland.
    CE You! maintains responsibility for this program.
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  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0275.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0129.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0325.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0774.
Refund Policy:
Full Refund until 48 hours before scheduled date.
48 hours before: full refund less $5.00 processing fee. After event no refund will be given.
*exclusions apply for reasonable need and cause.