An In-Depth View of Domestic Abuse Services

Domestic Abuse 101: The first section will focus primarily on the foundational material related to domestic violence. Participants will explore the definition of domestic violence and the various ways it may manifest in relationships. There will be opportunities to analyze the prevalence of domestic violence within the community and review commonly associated injuries, psychological effects, and abuse tactics. Additionally, participants will receive a detailed overview of Laurel House and its services.

Trauma-Informed Care: The second section of Session 1 will focus on what trauma-informed care is and how it is applied in a domestic abuse agency setting.

This presentation will identify how Laurel House’s Legal Department, Domestic Abuse Response Team, and Medical Advocacy Team provide resources for victims of domestic violence in Montgomery County, PA.  

Legal Section: Legal will pick up with an overview of how the Final PFA process works. There will be a discussion of the different possible outcomes at a Final PFA hearing as well as how the court hearings are set up for plaintiffs and defendants. Attendees will get an overview of PFA legal resources in Montgomery County and the resulting conflict issues that sometimes result. Attendees will receive an overview of the custody process in Montgomery County, including a description of the mediation and conciliation stages. There will be a discussion of the 16 custody factors that are considered in every custody case as well as how domestic violence is addressed. A brief overview will be given of the child support process and the typical documentation that is considered. This will involve a discussion of how domestic violence can affect an individual’s decision to file for support.

DART/MAP Section: Attendees will get an overview of how the Domestic Abuse Response Team responds to domestic violence calls from police, medical providers, self-referrals, and community partners. The presentation will explain the criminal justice process related to domestic violence in Montgomery County, PA.  Attendees will be trained in recognizing special medical topics such as elder abuse, traumatic brain injury, strangulation, and reproductive coercion. Presenters will identify how Laurel House’s Domestic Abuse Response Team and Medical Advocacy Program provide resources to victims in Montgomery County, PA.

This presentation will explore the unique concerns of adolescents and young adults experiencing dating violence and highlight recommended intervention strategies.

Community Education/Dating Violence Section: Attendees will get an overview of the unique concerns of adolescents and young adults experiencing dating violence. This presentation will draw attention to both the prevalence of teen dating violence and the challenges that exist in providing support and education to adolescents. Attendees will be trained in recognizing signs and symptoms of teen dating violence and will review intervention strategies for responding to youth who are (or are suspected to be) experiencing dating violence. We will highlight recommended practices for initiating conversations and receiving disclosures about teen dating violence, assessing individual and environmental factors in supporting teens who are experiencing dating violence and using multiple strategies to respond to teen dating violence with an emphasis on safety planning.

Parenting: Trained Mental Health professionals from ABFT International Training Institute will present on how complex trauma and domestic violence can impact children and family systems. They will discuss how to work with parents individually as part of family treatment to explore intergenerational patterns of trauma and family-of-origin dynamics.  They will also discuss takeaways from a previous program run through Drexel University on parenting and ABFT.

Clinical Counseling: This section will focus on the Healing Trauma Curriculum utilized at Laurel House, specifically focusing on grounding and mindfulness techniques. The discussion will include a review of interventions/therapeutic modalities used most often with survivors of abuse, with a focus on EMDR.

Ashley Thompson is a graduate of Eastern University and Temple University, as well as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Pennsylvania. She has worked at Laurel House for eleven years, beginning in the Domestic Abuse Response and Medical Advocacy Program in 2012 and moving into the Counseling Department in 2018. As a Staff Counselor and the Assistant Director of Counseling, Ashley provided individual group counseling services to domestic abuse survivors within the community. In 2021 Ashley moved into the role of Director of Counseling and is now responsible for managing the administrative tasks related to running the Counseling Department. She also provides clinical supervision for counseling staff and interns at Laurel House and maintains a small caseload of counseling clients. Throughout her time at Laurel House, Ashley has provided countless professional development training courses for individuals in the medical and mental health field on the topic of domestic abuse and trauma-informed care.

Minna Davis served as Director of Counseling for Laurel House of Montgomery County, PA for 16 years where she and her clinical staff, volunteers, and interns provided counseling to shelter and transitional housing residents, and to survivors of intimate partner violence living in the community-at-large and their families. In June 2021, she stepped down as director to semi-retire. She continues offering professional development workshops for mental health clinicians and other human services professionals throughout the Delaware Valley and supervises professional counseling interns. Prior to coming to Laurel House in 2001 to oversee the shelter and its services for abused women and their children, Ms. Davis lived in Scranton, PA where she served as the Assistant Director of the Counseling & Student Development Center of Marywood University and as an adjunct instructor at both Marywood University and the University of Scranton.

Cortney Marengo is the Director of Community Outreach at Laurel House and Intimate Partner Violence Specialist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She oversees the Community Prevention Education Program, Domestic Abuse Response Team, and Medical Advocacy Program.  Cortney is responsible for responding to domestic violence crisis calls, supporting survivors in the criminal justice and medical system, as well as providing training and prevention education to schools, law enforcement, and medical providers. Her long history of program management includes planning the 2019 CHOP Autism Symposium and the 19th Annual International Vasculitis Conference at PENN Medicine. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, she became the Director of Operations for Fight COVID Task Force through Skippack Pharmacy, facilitating the vaccination of over 60,000 community members. Her passion lies in working with the community to prevent domestic violence for future generations. She holds a BA in Criminal Justice, A Master’s Certificate in Event Management and is currently working towards a Master of Public Administration with a Certificate in Non-Profit Management.

Joseph Donegan is a 2017 graduate of Widener University Commonwealth Law School and has been a practicing Attorney for 6 years. In 2019 Mr. Donegan became a Staff Attorney at MidPenn Legal Services in Lewistown, PA, and Carlisle, PA, working primarily as a VOCA Attorney for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. He has been working for Laurel House since the summer of 2022. He is passionate about working in this field and assisting survivors of domestic abuse because it is something he lived with as a child. He'd like to share a fun fact about himself: he taught English in South Korea for 2 years.

Jami Stocks is a graduate of Arcadia University with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and interned in Temple University’s COVID-19 contact tracing unit. She has been a Medical Advocate for Laurel House since October 2022. As a Medical Advocate, Jami trains health professionals around Montgomery County on the importance of screening and responding to domestic violence in the healthcare setting.

Maureen Murray is the Community Education Coordinator at Laurel House. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Swarthmore College, where her minor was in Peace and Conflict Studies, and then pursued her master’s degree at Villanova University, where her coursework focused on the intersection of education and social justice.  In her current role at Laurel House, Maureen facilitates conversations about healthy and unhealthy relationships with students in middle school through college and trains professional allies working with other agency staff on the unique concerns of adolescents and young adults experiencing domestic violence. She previously served as an Outreach Educator at the National Liberty Museum, a Youth Services Librarian, and a Middle and High School teacher.

Brianna graduated from the Family Therapy master’s program at Thomas Jefferson University. She is a certified Attachment-Based Family Therapist and specializes in working with parents and adolescents impacted by trauma, violence, & abuse. Brianna works with depressed and suicidal teens and particularly enjoys working with their caregivers as well, to repair relationships and family structure. Brianna co-developed a parenting class and support group for caregivers impacted by domestic violence. She works in private practice, as well as provides training and supervision.

Rachel Becker, Esq. is currently the Title IX & Equity Investigator at Saint Joseph’s University. In this role, Ms. Becker serves as the primary investigator for allegations of bias, harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct. Additionally, she assists in providing training, professional development and outreach activities related to bias, harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct prevention. Prior to her current position, Ms. Becker served as the Staff Attorney at
Laurel House, a comprehensive domestic violence agency in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Ms. Becker supervised the creation of a pro bono legal program that assisted clients who had been the victims of interpersonal violence. Ms. Becker represented clients in domestic relations matters including Protection from Abuse, child support and child custody. Ms. Becker began her professional career as an Assistant District Attorney in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, prosecuting cases ranging from simple misdemeanors to complex felony burglaries. In her personal life, Ms. Becker enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, riding her Peloton bike, reading and trying new restaurants.