11. Living in New York State; Advocating for Sexual Assault Victims & Survivors Everywhere!: Haley Murphy
It was in the Fall of 2016 that I first received an email from Haley Murphy, then the Campus Sexual Assault Liaison of the Crime Victim Assistance Center, Inc., located in Binghamton, NY. Haley was writing to let me know that I had been recommended to her to provide training on the neuroscience of trauma in sexual assault and interpersonal violence assault, as well as principles on trauma-informed interviewing and investigations, to a multi-disciplinary audience that CVAC, Inc., and the New York State Police were co-sponsoring. That was the beginning of what continues to be an extremely productive business relationship and friendship between Haley and me; I was hired to do the presentation which occurred in July of 2017, and it was there that I had the privilege of meeting the four panelists that presented after my training (see the previous four episodes’ notes for those details). In 2020, when I made early attempts at getting the ball rolling for launching this podcast, I asked Haley if she would be a guest on my show, and she willingly agreed. It was a pleasure to get to know Haley better during that interview, and moreover, to hear how passionate she was about providing trauma-informed interviewing training to the nearly 200 law enforcement, victim advocates, mental health providers, social workers and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners that had attended the training that the CVAC and NYSP had provided. I was impressed with her enthusiasm and zealous attitude…you will be, too; it comes across in the interview. Even though this interview occurred over 2 years ago, it is still as pertinent, valid, and important today as it was then; you’ll understand what I mean when you hear this interview—Haley and I discussed her background, education, and work history. But we also had a very interesting and educational discussion about common sexual trauma responses, victim impact, and her work to provide healing and recovery to her clients, at the same time she is growing in her own survival story. This is an episode you’re going to not want to miss! In preparing to post this episode, I called Haley today to let her know that I was going to post it…she was very excited at the news. Even more exciting was her response when I asked if she would do a follow-up interview with me for the podcast in a few weeks; she readily accepted the invitation, not only ready to talk more about the important subjects we plan to cover, but also eager to let everyone know of the changes that have occurred in her life…a promotion at work, and a surprise that I’ll let her tell you about when I post her follow-up interview! This is an episode you’ll want to share!...it’s too good to keep to yourself! Please don’t forget to rate the episode, and subscribe to SASS—whether you listen to all the episodes or not! And please, do your part to help bring justice to victims and survivors…because we all know someone whose life has been affected by rape or sexual assault. Start By Believing!
