The senior class in Social Work at Chadron State College will host nationally known author Barbara Rubel as the keynote speaker for The Truth in Trauma and Trauma Informed Practices, a free conference Nov. 2 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Student Center. It will also be available via free live streaming. No registration is required. A free lunch will be provided for the first 150 attendees.
The SW 435 seniors organizing the conference are Cooper McLaughlin of Wall, S.D., Abbygail Schaffer of Greeley, Colo., Mercedes Sloan of Tonopah, Ariz., and Serenity Sterkel of Alliance.
Sterkel said the group determined their topic based on limited information and resources available about dealing with trauma.
“Every individual, no matter the age, has either experienced or knows somebody who has experienced trauma. We felt the conference topic was crucial because almost everyone can relate to and take something away from it. Our ultimate goal is to help individuals learn to cope with trauma in a healthy way,” Sterkel said.
Rubel is a trainer and award-winning author on traumatic loss, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma-informed care. She is the author of But I Didn’t Say Goodbye: Helping Families After a Suicide, continuing education courses for healthcare professionals, Loss, Grief, and Bereavement: Helping Individuals Cope, and COVID-19 Loss, Grief, and Bereavement.
Her story was featured in the Emmy award-winning documentary, Fatal Mistakes, Families Shattered by Suicide. Rubel is a Board-Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress and Diplomate with the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. She earned a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in community health, with a concentration in thanatology, both from Brooklyn College.
Other speakers include Chadron Volunteer Fire Department Chief Branden Martens and CSC faculty member Dr. Elizabeth Kraatz.
Martens is a native of Kansas, who played junior college football at Fort Scott, Kansas, then transferred to Chadron and graduated from CSC in 2011. He joined the Chadron Volunteer Fire Department in 2012, became an assistant chief in 2016, and chief in 2020. He is a licensed Emergency Medical Technician and has credentials in structure firefighting and as a wildland engine boss. He is married to Trish Martens and is the manager of Chadron Ace Annex and a small engine mechanic.
Kraatz is an assistant professor in Education, Counseling, Psychological Sciences, and Social Work. She will speak about sex education and trauma. After earning an undergraduate degree, she taught middle school science in rural Mississippi. There, she completed a master’s degree in early childhood education. Before joining the CSC faculty in Fall 2021, she taught adult education classes in Ohio for several years and earned a doctorate in Educational Psychology from Ohio State.
Panel members in the closing segment of the conference will include: Rubel, Kraatz, Martens, Dr. Grant Sasse, an associate professor and chair of the Counseling Psychology and Social Work, Department, and Gabe Walz, a Chadron Police Department lieutenant.