In this episode of One in Ten, host Teresa Huizar speaks with Kristi Westphaln (UCLA School of Nursing) about integrating children’s voices into Children's Advocacy Center (CAC) outcome measurement and understanding what healing after abuse means to youth. Westphaln describes her work with the Canopy CAC and a scoping review showing CAC literature emphasizes programmatic measures (forensic interviews, prosecution) more than child perspectives, and how this aligned with the National Children’s Alliance Youth Feedback Survey pilot.

Time Stamps:

Time. Topic

00:00 Kids Are The Experts

01:14 Kristi’s CAC Journey

04:19 Why Youth Voices Matter

08:03 Youth Survey Primer

09:07 Three Healing Questions

12:14 Who Joined The Study

17:20 What Healing Means

21:33 Talking And Support

24:35 Pets Faith Justice

31:12 What CACs Can Do

37:14 Trauma Without The Word

39:44 Key Takeaways And Thanks

43:36 Closing And Where To Listen

Resources:

Talk with me about it: Child and youth perspectives on healing after child abuse - ScienceDirect

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Host Teresa Huizar interviews Dr. Amy Farrell of Northeastern University about a multi-institution study on the physical and mental health needs of commercially sexually exploited youth and their interactions with healthcare systems. The research used a national survey recruited through service agencies and Instagram screening, plus qualitative interviews with adults exploited as minors, examining health before, during, and after exploitation. Findings show exploited youth report significantly higher health concerns than comparable high-risk youth, including higher STI rates, chronic pain, asthma, high blood pressure, and severe depression, anxiety, PTSD, and dissociation; health problems often persist throughout their lives.

Time Stamps

Time Topic

00:00 Episode Setup

01:23 Meet Dr. Amy Farrell

01:43 Why This Study

04:51 Research Questions

06:14 Recruiting The Sample

09:57 Overall Health Findings

13:05 Physical Health Surprises

15:37 Mental Health Impacts

20:27 ACEs and Vulnerability

23:27 Healthcare Access Touchpoints

27:48 Stigma and Broken Trust

32:21 Provider Recommendations

43:11 Future Research

44:58 Closing and Resources

Resources

Understanding the Physical and Psychological Health and Wellness Needs of Minor Sex Trafficking Victims

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In this episode of One in Ten, host Teresa Huizar welcomes Irish Burch, a longtime Children’s Advocacy Center leader and mentor, to discuss “imperfect” leadership as learning and service. Irish recounts her path from CPS investigator to forensic interviewer, then into leadership roles culminating as CEO of the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, emphasizing that being great at a job doesn’t automatically translate to leading people. Irish shares advice for emerging leaders about balancing mission service with personal development, preventing burnout by maintaining life outside work, and her next season focused on coaching, speaking, and sustaining leaders under pressure while building broader public support for CACs.

Time Stamps:

Time. Topic

00:00 Leadership Myths Busted

01:36 Irish Leadership Journey

03:53 Grounded by Faith Community

05:01 Weight of Mission Work

07:47 Imperfect Human Centered

10:18 Burden and Blessing

13:05 Advice for Emerging Leaders

15:58 Radical Transparency Myth

19:47 Leading Through Influence

23:38 Hiring for Collaboration

26:02 Systems Change Decisions

27:58 Learning on the Fly

28:59 Grace Over Perfection

32:21 Myth of Great Leaders

37:27 Vision for CAC Future

39:39 Next Season and Speaking

42:13 Staying Healthy in the Work

45:55 Burnout and Identity

51:23 Closing Gratitude and Farewell

Resources:

Irish Burch Company

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Did you like this episode? Please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.