event

Middlesex County Domestic Violence Conference

October 24-25, 2024

Overview

We are Better Together.

The inaugural Middlesex County Domestic Violence Conference offers an opportunity for professionals, service providers, survivors and other allies, to support and improve Middlesex County’s coordinated community response to victim-survivors of domestic violence. Through education and networking, we continue to improve safety, access to services and confidentiality for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.

This project is supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-21-GG-02028-ICJR awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s)and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Agenda

Conference registration is limited to 150 attendees.

Thursday, October 24, 2024 and Friday, October 25, 2024

Download the full agenda here.

Keynote Speakers

Rachel Louise Snyder

Author and investigative journalist Rachel Louise Snyder explores the causes and consequences of the violence that impacts women around the globe. Her work demands that we see the reality of gender-based violence, domestic abuse, poverty, race and class prejudice, and other often overlooked social crises.

Snyder is the author of No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us.

A sobering meditation on the far-reaching social consequences of intimate violence, No Visible Bruises draws on the stories of survivors, perpetrators, law enforcement officers, and victim advocates to lay bare the policies and cultural narratives that help abusers escape responsibility and upends common myths about domestic violence. Snyder also illuminates the intersections between domestic violence and poverty, homelessness, and addiction, underscoring the fact that none of these patterns emerges in a vacuum, and gives us concrete steps that can save lives.

No Visible Bruises was awarded the New York Public Library’s Bernstein Journalism Award, the 2018 Lukas Work-in-Progress Award from the Columbia School of Journalism and Harvard’s Nieman Foundation, as well as the Hillman Prize for Book Journalism. A finalist for the Kirkus Prize, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, it was named one of the 10 Best Books of 2019 by The New York Times.

Snyder’s follow-up Women We Buried, Women We Burned recounts her own troubled family story in a powerful memoir that relates her personal history with honesty, lyricism and an eternal eye to the social issues that have become her life’s work. When eight-year-old Rachel’s mother died, her distraught father thrust the family into extreme evangelicalism. After a childhood marked by silence and rage, teenage Rachel became outwardly furious-and rebellious. She was expelled from school and home at age 16. Living out of her car and relying on strangers, Rachel found herself masquerading as an adult, talking her way into college, and eventually traveling the globe.

As a journalist, Snyder has traveled to more than 60 countries, covering stories of human rights, natural disaster and war. Her audio credits include the nationally syndicated global affairs series Latitudes on public radio, Marketplace and All Things Considered, and the Audible original podcast The First Wife: John Meehan’s Reign of Terror. A contributing writer for The New York Times opinion section, her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Slate, Salon, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, The Chicago Tribune and The New Republic. Her other books are Fugitive Denim: A Moving Story of People and Pants in the Borderless World of Global Trade and the novel What We’ve Lost is Nothing. She is at work on a reported narrative examination of gender discrimination and criminalized survivors in the judicial system. Snyder lived in Chicago, London, Boston and Phnom Penh, Cambodia, before relocating to Washington, DC, where she is a distinguished professor in the creative writing program at American University.

For more on Rachel Louise Snyder, please visit her on Facebook, Twitter and at globalgrit.com.

Maliha Janjua, MSW, LCSW, DVS

Maliha Janjua, MSW, LCSW, DVS, is Women Aware’s Director of Client Services. A survivor of dating violence and gun violence, Maliha brings a unique perspective to her work with victims and their children. Maliha has over 14 years of experience in the domestic violence field. As the Director of Client Services, she oversees Women Aware’s residential and nonresidential programs. Maliha is a licensed clinical social worker, holds a master’s degree in social work from Rutgers University and is a Domestic Violence Specialist. She is certified as a Jacquelyn Campbell Danger Assessor, completed the 25-hour advanced strangulation training from the Alliance for Hope Strangulation Training Institute, completed 40-hour DV training and is multilingual in Urdu and Hindi.

Presenters

Rebecca Vazquez, PHD, LPC, NCC is the Director for the Office for Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance (VPVA) for Rutgers University. For 15 years, Rebecca has been a passionate advocate for survivors of interpersonal violence and trauma. Rebecca earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Rider University, Master of Arts in Counselor Education from The College of New Jersey, and Doctorate in Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University. She is also a recipient of the Minority Fellowship Program through the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC). Her areas of interest include the intersection of trauma, culture, and spirituality along with human trafficking and organizational wellness.

Dr. Christine Marie Cocchiola, DSW, LCSW is a coercive control educator, researcher and survivor. She is a board member of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and a founding member of the International Coercive Control Conference. She has actively supported codifying coercive control as the foundation of domestic abuse, writing policy briefs supporting these efforts and providing expert testimony at legislative hearings. A college professor teaching in social work for over 20 years, she has created various programming to educate protective parents and court professionals on best practices to support vulnerable populations.

Laisa Schweigert is a Technology Safety Specialist with the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) Safety Net project. Prior to coming to NNEDV, Laisa worked for the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault (ICASA), where she was responsible for providing technical assistance and support to Illinois’ 30 certified rape crisis centers. She has also worked with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault at Against Abuse, Inc., in Casa Grande, AZ, and as a research assistant with the Interpersonal Violence Research Laboratory at the University of Nebraska. Laisa graduated from Arizona State University in 2018 with a MA in Social Justice and Human Rights. She also holds a BA. in Psychology from ASU.

Gael Strack, Esq.is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of the Alliance for HOPE International. The Alliance has five main programs: the National Family Justice Center, Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention, Camp HOPE America, VOICES and the Justice Legal Network. Gael is an internationally recognized expert in non-fatal strangulation cases and regularly trains on numerous topics. Gael is also an adjunct professor at California Western School of Law, teaching a class on Domestic Violence and the Law.

Joe Bianco is the Law Enforcement Support Coordinator at the Alliance for HOPE International. Joe has a BA in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, in New York, NY, and a MS in Criminal Justice from Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA. Before joining the Alliance, Joe was a police officer for 16 years with the NYCPD and SDPD, assigned as a detective to the DV and Child Abuse Unit for six years. Joe is a recognized court expert in non-fatal strangulation cases and DV dynamics. In addition, he spent a year working for child welfare services for the State of New Hampshire. Joe is passionate for helping survivors of family violence and educating other professionals in the dangers of intimate partner violence and strangulation.

Lisa Johnson is the co-founder of Been There Got Out, a high conflict divorce strategist, coach, and certified domestic violence advocate who has successfully represented herself through scores of court appearances. Her case, published in the Connecticut Law Journal, is being used as legal precedent. Her live testimony helped pass Jennifer’s Law in Connecticut, the third state in America to expand its legal definition of domestic violence to include “coercive control.” She and her partner, Chris, the male half of Been There Got Out, coach people in high-conflict relationships, divorce, custody battles and co-parenting hell so they have the chance of the best outcome in family court and beyond. They also offer a weekly Legal Abuse Support Group for those dealing with narcissistic opponents in legal matters. Their book, “Been There Got Out: Toxic Relationships, High-Conflict Divorce, and How to Stay Sane Under Insane Circumstances,” was released in March 2023. They are currently working on a book about what to do when your ex tries to turn the kids against you – in court, and in life, as well as a series of online courses.

Continuing Education Credit

Continuing education credits will be awarded by the National Association of Social Workers and The National Board of Certified Counselors.

When registering, please indicate that you are interested in receiving credit.
Download information about qualifying sessions below.
Additional information will be available at registration on October 24 and/or October 25.
At the end of each day, credit seekers must return to the registration table to have their attendance validated by Women Aware.

Qualifying Training sessions – NASW

Qualifying Training sessions – NBCC

Grievance Procedure

Venue

New Jersey Law Center
One Constitution Square
New Brunswick, NJ 08901

The New Jersey Law Center is located on the New Brunswick, NJ campus of Rutgers University. Ample on-site parking is available.

Click here for Waze Directions.

Click here for Google Maps Directions.

Q&A

Who can attend the conference?
The conference is designed for professionals and victim service providers, survivors and other allies in Middlesex County, including Middlesex County Family Justice Center Partners. Due to limited space, conference attendance is by invitation only.

Can I register at the conference?
You must register in advance due to limited space. Conference attendance is by invitation only.

Is there a fee to attend the conference?
There is no charge to attend.

Do I have to attend both days of the conference?
You can register for either day or both days, depending upon your schedule.

Can I get continuing education credit for attending?
Yes. Continuing education credits will be awarded by The National Board of Certified Counselors. When registering, please indicate that you are interested in receiving credit.

Will refreshments be served?
Women Aware will provide coffee, tea and water, as well as lunch on both days of the conference. Upon registering, please indicate if you have dietary and cultural preferences.