Social Work Meetup: How Do We Get Them to Care?

So often, our mitigation work uncovers harrowing life stories about individuals’ lives. These stories are compelling to us, but may fall flat with the finder of fact. How can we help them care? How can we present mitigation in a way to make the finder of fact care? Come with ideas and suggestions of what you have tried, what has worked, what didn’t work and why, and let’s discuss how to get others to care a fraction of the amount we do!

Stephanne Cline Thornton is a West Virginia native who has worked in and around criminal defense and mitigation for more than 20 years in Georgia, Colorado, and West Virginia. She is currently the Social Work Training and Resource Coordinator for NAPD, Clinical Director for the West Virginia Judicial and Lawyer Assistance Program, and owner of Transform Legal, a consultancy focused on mitigation, training, and sustainability. As a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and Master Addiction Counselor, Stephanne focuses on proper assessment for and access to trauma and substance use disorder treatment to ensure the health and well-being of affected individuals. Stephanne is on the Trauma-Informed Care Network Speakers Bureau and uses that platform to call attention to the intersection of secondary traumatic stress and legal practice. She approaches her work with clients, lawyers, social workers, and mitigation specialists through a contextualized mitigation lens.