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Greece trip provides training on caring for sex trafficking victims

Students from Liberty University’s Department of Psychology and Department of Social Work left for Athens, Greece, on Saturday, July 10. While in Greece, the team of 31 students has been working to help sex trafficking victims.

Students from Liberty University’s Department of Psychology and Department of Social Work left for Athens, Greece, on Saturday, July 10. While there, the team of 31 students has been working to help sex trafficking victims. The team returns Tuesday, July 19.

The students have been staying at Greek Bible College. They have had the opportunity to work with Nea Zoi, an organization that operates in downtown Athens and works to build connections and offer support to individuals in brothels. Liberty has also partnered with the A21 Campaign, which is a global organization that seeks to abolish injustice in the 21st century. A21 opened its first shelter for survivors of human trafficking in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Dr. Kevin Conner, residential chair of the psychology department, and Christine Fulmer, a social work professor, are leading the trip.

Conner said this is the second trip that the departments have taken to Greece.

“The trip is designed to raise awareness and understanding of the psychological and spiritual ramifications of sex trafficking on individuals and society,” he said. “Greece is known as both a transition country and a destination country due to legalized prostitution.”

Students heard presentations from agencies working to help individuals being trafficked. They also had the opportunity to meet with victims and apply their training to real-world scenarios.

“A trip to Greece places the student in the culture, which greatly enhances the historical and cultural aspects that play into an understanding of trafficking,” he said. “Liberty provides amazing learning opportunities and spiritual development through these trips. These students are gaining an awareness of God at work in the world while also experiencing a different culture in the context of learning more within the discipline.”

Rising senior Carrie Logie said that prior to the trip her class was required to read a book that detailed the real-life account of a Greek sex trafficking victim.

Students from Liberty University’s Department of Psychology and Department of Social Work left for Athens, Greece, on Saturday, July 10. While in Greece, the team of 31 students has been working to help sex trafficking victims.

“All of us were hit by the fact that the story we read beforehand happened right here in this city,” she said. “We talked about how, in many cases, there was such a lack of shame surrounding the topic, an absence of any form of conviction that buying and selling women for sex is wrong. We have also learned that the incredible thing to remember is that even though it is so easy to get angry and overwhelmed, God can restore these victims.”

Logie added that she has been able to develop her counseling skills.

“Much of the point of this trip is to process our exposure to this reality,” she said. “So far, I have learned that there is a lot out there I did not even realize existed, and I now have more tools to use in my future career.”

Liberty’s Department of Psychology and Department of Social work are housed under the School of Behavioral Sciences. The B.S. in Social Work program launched residentially during the Fall 2015 semester and became available online at the beginning of the Spring 2016 semester. The program trains students for careers with immigration and refugee resettlement agencies, human trafficking organizations, adult protective services, adoption agencies, hospices, hospitals, nursing homes, mental health clinics, schools, and child and family services.

The B.S. in Psychology program prepares students for graduate school and careers in community services, business, childcare, the mental health field, and substance abuse recovery. The department also recently launched a 36-credit-hour Master of Science in Psychology designed to prepare students for a wide variety of employment opportunities — from teaching to research and business consulting. The degree is available both residentially and online. Enrollment for the Fall 2016 semester is still open.

  • Over one-third of Liberty students are pursuing health-related degrees. Read more in the Liberty Journal.
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