PCA believes strongly that understanding and responding to the needs of commercially sexually exploited youth in Philadelphia is critical, and we are committed to providing every child victim of sex trafficking with the same comprehensive care and coordinated response as other referrals to our facility.
PCA conducts forensic interviews of the younger victims, and our partners in the Human Trafficking Task Force conduct the interviews for older teens. While PCA does not conduct every forensic interview of these child victims, we work closely with police and the Department of Human Services (DHS) to make sure that every child still has access to the full constellation of services including medical and mental health treatment.
In addition, PCA works closely with DHS to provide comprehensive assessments of children referred to DHS who are screened for concerns of being exploited. When DHS or police identify a child that exhibits “red flags”, they send that child to PCA for a full assessment. Based on the results of that assessment, PCA will secure services for the child. Many of these at-risk youths are referred for services with PCA’s CSEC therapist, who is specially trained in this area.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT:
Nilsa Ulerio is our Bilingual Child Victim of Human Trafficking Program Coordinator.
She provides outpatient mental health services to youth who have experienced traumas
related to human trafficking.
She coordinates the individual and systemic care for abused youth and their families,
including court advocacy and accompaniment.
An integral part of the PCA team for four years, Nilsa has spent the last year and a
half as the only Bilingual CVHT in Pennsylvania.
Her position and expertise help us increase our capacity to serve children facing
the trauma of commercial exploitation and labor.
Nilsa is one of the only clinicians in the region providing trauma-focused
cognitive behavioral therapy specialized for child victims of human trafficking.
The work that she does to support these victims directly impacts their healing and recovery.
For more information on Human Trafficking, you can contact the
National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888
or visit https://humantraffickinghotline.org
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