Dr. Sandie Morgan and Kathy McGibbon Givens discuss how to get "unstuck" in survivor aftercare. They consider the language we use, aftercare programs, and holistic approaches when serving survivors on their journey to become unstuck.
Kathy McGibbon Givens
Kathy McGibbon Givens is a wife, mother, author, and playwright who has overcome the dark world of sex-trafficking. Kathy’s goal is to raise awareness, fight for those who are being trafficked, and mentor those who have overcome it. She is now Co-Founder and Executive Director of Twelve 11 Partners and in 2021, she was appointed to be a member of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking.
Key Points

Kathy explains her use of "overcomer" as opposed to "survivor" as a term to denote how she herself overcame her past and is now thriving.
The cycle of toxicity in human trafficking is not easily broken and requires knowledge of the obstacles survivors face.
Survivors are crucial in the first step to becoming unstuck.
Successful mentor and support groups require survivor leaders input, as well as mentorship for the survivors and other mentors.

Resources

Kathy McGibbon Givens – Full Bio
Twelve 11 Partners
Ensure Justice 2022 Conference - March 4-5, 2022

Transcript
Dave Stachowiak 0:03
You're listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 252, What It Takes to Get Unstuck with Kathy McGibbon Givens.

Production Credits 0:10
Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential.

Dave Stachowiak 0:31
Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.

Sandra Morgan 0:37
And my name is Sandie Morgan.

Dave Stachowiak 0:39
And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. Sandie, we are always working together with partners and we of course are helping all of us in this work to get unstuck. Today's guest is going to really help us to do that. I am so glad to welcome Kathy McGibbon Givens to the show. She is a wife, mother, author, and playwright who has overcome the dark world of sex trafficking. Kathy's goal is to raise awareness, fight for those who are being trafficked, and mentor those who have overcome it. She is now Co-Founder and Executive Director of Twelve 11 Partners. And in 2021, she was appointed to be a member of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking by presidential appointment. Kathy, we're so glad to welcome you to Ending Human Trafficking.

Kathy McGibbon Givens 1:34
I'm so glad to be here. Thank you so much for having me.

Sandra Morgan 1:38
Kathy, we haven't got to be in the same room yet, but you were a speaker at Ensure Justice just a few months ago here at Vanguard. And there were rave reviews. Everyone felt so empowered by your workshop and your panel presentation during the plenary. So, thank you so much.

Kathy McGibbon Givens 2:01
That was a wonderful time. I thank you for having me. I keep thinking about that event. And that is definitely one of the highlights. Thank you so much for that platform.

Sandra Morgan 2:10
Well, and my husband attended your workshop. He's a faithful attendee at Ensure Justice. And he's a pastor. So he's been hearing about how churches should respond for many years. And he loved hearing you use the term overcomer as opposed to victim or survivor. Can you tell us why that's important and what it takes to be an overcomer?

Kathy McGibbon Givens 2:39
Absolutely. So, in my own journey of restoration, when I first came out of the life, and when I first understood what trafficking was, I still felt, I still took on a lot of that blame, I still felt like a victim. So it was very hard for me to even say that I was a survivor because I still felt that shame associated with that lifestyle. And so, the more I started sharing, and my healing journey continued, I said, 'Okay, well, I'm a survivor,